Former Apple, Uber, Ford, and General Motors Safety Executive Joins Kodiak Robotics as Vice President of Safety

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May 24, 2023, 09:00 ET

Senior automotive safety executive Steve Kenner joins Kodiak as the company paves the way for driverless deployment

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., May 24, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Kodiak Robotics, Inc., a leading self-driving trucking company, today announced that it has hired Steve Kenner, a widely-respected automotive safety executive with 40 years experience at technology and automotive giants, including Apple, Uber, Ford, General Motors, and more, to the position of Vice President of Safety. In his role, Kenner will oversee safety across all areas of Kodiak's operations, including fleet and driver operations, safety management systems, and safety policy.

Kodiak Robotics today announced that it has hired Steve Kenner, a widely-respected automotive safety executive with 40 years experience at technology and automotive giants, including Apple, Uber, Ford, General Motors, and more, to the position of Vice President of Safety.

"Steve has long been a leader in vehicle safety, and has the perfect background to lead Kodiak's safety program as we finish the work to commercially launch self-driving trucks," said Don Burnette, Founder and CEO, Kodiak Robotics. "Safety is at the forefront of everything we do at Kodiak, and is central to everyone on our team. Steve will leverage his extensive knowledge to ensure that safety continues to be the throughline across Kodiak."

Kenner has built an impressive resume over the last four decades. At Apple, he led the safety and regulatory activities for the Special Projects Group. Following his role at Apple, Kenner led Uber Advanced Technology Group's product safety efforts including functional safety, software safety, and fault management. Prior to Apple, Kenner worked at Ford, where he was the Global Director of Automotive Safety, and held key engineering roles at Chrysler and General Motors. Most recently, Kenner served as Chief Product and Safety Officer at Locomation, and Director of Safety Standards at Aurora.

"Kodiak's dedication to safety aligns with my mission to help on-road vehicles achieve the highest safety standards," said Kenner. "Autonomous trucking technology has the potential to save lives while solving our nation's existential supply chain issues. Kodiak is an established leader in the safe testing and deployment of AV technologies. I look forward to further strengthening Kodiak's safety programs as the company works to deploy autonomous trucks commercially."

Kenner, who joined Kodiak in May 2023, reports directly to the CEO. Kenner earned an MBA from Stanford University, and graduated from Kettering University magna cum laude with a B.S. in mechanical engineering.

Kenner joins Kodiak as the company continues to make technical and commercial progress. Kodiak recently unveiled the first-ever autonomous electric class 8 truck. Kodiak is upfitting a Peterbilt Model 579EV electric truck with the Kodiak Driver, the company's self-driving technology. The company has announced partnerships with C.R. England and Tyson, IKEA, Werner, Forward and more.

For more information about Kodiak, please visit https://kodiak.ai.

About Kodiak Robotics, Inc.

Kodiak Robotics, Inc. was founded in 2018 to develop autonomous technology that carries freight forward — so people, partners, and the planet thrive. The company is developing an industry-leading technology stack purpose-built for long-haul trucks, making the freight industry safer and more efficient. Kodiak's unique modular hardware approach integrates sensors into a streamlined sensor-pod structure that optimizes for perception, scalability, and maintainability. The company delivers freight daily for its customers across the South, operating autonomously on the highway portions of the routes. Kodiak also leverages its commercial self-driving software to develop, test and deploy autonomous capabilities for the U.S. Department of Defense. Learn more about Kodiak on the web at kodiak.ai, and on LinkedIn and Twitter. You can find the company press kit HERE.

SOURCE Kodiak Robotics