Rivian fetches Apple hardware and car project executive

Electric car maker Rivian has appointed a new Apple executive for hardware development. This is an addition to the major departure that happened to Apple over the past two years.

DJ Novotney, Vice President of Hardware Engineering, confirmed on Friday to his colleagues about his exit from the company, Bloomberg reports citing people related to this matter. Rivian is likely to make Novotney a senior vice president of vehicle programs at the company and he will report directly to CEO RJ Scaringe.

The Apple executive’s LinkedIn Profile shows that he has been with Apple throughout his career. He also participated in all of the first-generation product development at the Cupertino-based firm including the iPod, iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch.

Before working in the hardware team, Novotney had been one of the leads in Apple’s car project. The iPhone maker releases new devices each year, but its car project is nowhere near public appearance.

A report suggests that Apple is pushing the launch date further with changes in the car’s design and features with an expected unveiling in 2028.

Rivian R1T

“Apple has been my life, but now is the time for me to move on and help bring to life a new set of products,” Novotney wrote in his memo of departure.

The recruitment shows the importance of his work and how it could play out for Rivian in the long term of research on new products.

Rivian is also expanding its team of executives who could further enhance the company’s next generation of products. Similar to smartphones, the electric vehicle market is still on the verge of breakthroughs.

Car makers such as Tesla are driving new platforms to launch new EVs to drive down the vehicle cost. Rivian, as one of the leading SUV truck sellers could also increase its relevance to the market while increasing its small-size car portfolio.

The experience brought by new veteran executives could help Rivian to improve its perspective on new energy vehicles and reflect them directly to the customer.