Mike Bell, a veteran Apple executive who helped create the iPhone, has left Rivian after nine months working with the automaker startup. The reasons why he’s left are not clear.
Bell was one of the most high-profile in Rivian’s team, now with more than 1,700 employees around the world. Rivian’s spokesperson said that the automaker “appreciate[s] his contribution here and wish[es] him all the best,” with no further information.
Established in 2009, Rivian went through almost ten years working in stealth mode while creating two electric vehicles: a pickup truck and an SUV. The startup broke spread in 2018 and uncovered the vehicles soon thereafter at the LA Auto Show. Both of those vehicles are scheduled to be on the market by the end of this year, with a price tag around $70,000.
Simultaneously, the startup secured an amazing measure of financing. Amazon drove a financing round worth $700 million. Ford contributed $500 million. Cox Automotive put $350 million into Rivian. What’s more, simply a month ago, Rivian declared it brought another $1.3 billion up in another financing round drove by T. Rowe Price that included existing financial specialists like Ford and Amazon.
Consequently, the startup has consented to assist Ford with building an all-electric Lincoln SUV fueled by Rivian’s EV stage. Rivian will likewise help construct 100,000 electric conveyance vans for Amazon.