Gerald Johnson (center), executive vice president of global manufacturing and labor relations at General Motors, watches as engineers and technicians set up and test the machines used to produce Level 1 face masks at a plant in Warren, Michigan.
Photo by John F. Martin for General Motors
DETROIT – General Motors’ The long-time production manager is retiring and the company has hired a former one Tesla And Google Executive who follows in his footsteps.
The Detroit automaker announced Tuesday that Gerald Johnson, executive vice president of global manufacturing and sustainability, will pass the baton to Jens Peter “JP” Clausen, a former executive at Tesla, Lego and most recently Google.
Johnson’s departure is not unexpected after a 44-year tenure at the automaker, but GM also announced another, more surprising departure on Tuesday: that of Mike Abbott, executive vice president of software and services.
GM said Abbott, a former Apple executive who started at the automaker in May, would resign for health reasons.
In a LinkedIn post, Abbott said that since late last year he has had “some serious health issues with my heart that have not improved.” He continued: “As a father and husband, I must prioritize my recovery and be with my family in the hope that my health improves over time.”
Baris Cetinok, current vice president of software and services products, was named Abbott’s interim successor during a search. Cetinok, also a former Apple executive, started at GM in September.
The changes take effect April 2, but GM said Johnson will remain with the automaker for the rest of the year.
Clausen’s hiring is particularly notable as GM and other automakers seek to match or surpass Tesla in producing batteries and powertrains for electric vehicles.
Clausen spent nearly 14 years at toymaker Lego and then joined Tesla from 2015 to 2019, when the company was in a period of strong growth and turmoil.
Reporting to CEO Elon Musk and former CTO JB Straubel, Clausen served as vice president of Tesla’s first battery production facility, known as the Nevada Gigafactory, outside of Reno.
Clausen led a rapid expansion of that factory and, before his departure, had been tasked with finding ways for Tesla to reduce the amount of scrap and waste generated as the electric vehicle maker grew from a niche player to a mass-market automotive company.
When Clausen joined Tesla, the now US electric vehicle leader was producing its high-end sedan, the Model S, and its falcon-wing SUV, the Model X. When he left, the company had begun mass production and delivery the entry-level Model 3 sedan, which remains the most affordable electric car.
After his time at Tesla, Clausen worked at Zymergen, a synthetic biology company that was funded by Softbank and later acquired by a major competitor, Gingko Bioworks. Following the merger, Clausen joined Google as vice president of engineering for the company’s Data Center Advanced Technology Innovation Group, where he worked on environmentally friendly cooling solutions for data centers, among other sustainable growth initiatives.
Clausen’s last day at Google will be March 29, a company spokesman said in an email.
Clausen isn’t the only former Tesla executive to join GM. The company’s board members include Jon McNeill, former Tesla president of worldwide sales and service, and the company recently hired Kurt Kelty, who led Tesla battery development for 11 years, as vice president of batteries.
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2024-03-13 01:10:32
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