Execs Flee EV Startup - a podcast by Eric Sorensen

Automotive News is calling it a “talent drain,” as it revealed this week that more executives have left the EV startup, Canoo.

Canoo gained an early foothold in the EV startup race with its unique designs including “lifestyle vehicles.” These electric options, described by Canoo as a “loft on wheels” pair 250 miles of range with configurable interiors that feature wraparound backseats, better-than-average legroom and a bubble-like cockpit. Canoo also offers block-shaped delivery vans and pickups that are set to come after the lifestyle vehicle debuts later this year.

But design chops are only one piece of the puzzle in automotive and in this case, Canoo has struggled with a tumultuous year that’s been highlighted by the abrupt departure of its CEO, an SEC investigation and ongoing volatility with its stock price. 

That’s a lot to take for a company that was just formed in 2017… and now there’s more.

Automotive News has reported that Canoo is hemorrhaging talent, citing several “key executives” who have fled the company in recent weeks. Departures, identified by an Auto News source who wished to remain confidential, include vehicle program lead Nicolas Leblanc as well as Richard Walker, who oversaw software controls. The source also said Mike de Jung and Steven Offutt, engineering experts who were some of the company’s earliest employees, are also departing.

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