Gerald Johnson, center, GM’s executive vice president of global manufacturing and labor relations, watches as engineers and technicians set up and test machines used to make Level 1 masks at a plant in Warren, Miss.
Photo by John F. Martin for General Motors
Detroit – General Motors’ Longtime manufacturing chief is retiring, and the company has hired a former Tesla and Google Executives came to fill his vacancy.
detroit automakers say on tuesday Gerald Johnson, executive vice president of global manufacturing and sustainability, will pass the baton to former Tesla, Lego and Google executive Jens-Peter K. Jens Peter “JP” Clausen.
Johnson’s departure, a 44-year veteran of the automaker, was not unexpected, but GM also announced another, more surprising departure Tuesday: that of Mike Abbott, executive vice president of software and services. .
General Motors said Abbott, a former top executive who joined Apple in May, will resign for health reasons.
Barry Cetinok, currently vice president of software and service products, has been named Abbott’s interim successor during the search process.Chetinnock, too. Former Apple executivewhich began working with General Motors in September.
The changes will take effect April 2, but GM said Johnson will remain with the automaker for the remainder of the year.
Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding Clawson’s departure.
Clauson’s hiring is particularly noteworthy as GM and other automakers try to catch up or surpass Tesla in making electric vehicle batteries and powertrains.
Clawson worked at toymaker Lego for nearly 14 years before joining Tesla during a period of rapid growth and turmoil from 2015 to 2019.
Clawson served as vice president of Tesla’s first battery manufacturing plant, the Nevada Gigafactory outside Reno, reporting to CEO Elon Musk and former chief technology officer JB Straubel.
Clawson, who led the rapid expansion of the factory, was tasked before his departure with finding ways for Tesla to reduce the amount of scrap and waste it generates as the electric car maker moves away from a niche market The company grew into a mass-market automotive company.
When Clawson joined Tesla, the U.S. electric vehicle leader was producing its high-end Model S sedan and Falcon Wing Model X SUV. When he left, the company had begun mass production and delivery of the entry-level Model 3 sedan, which remains the most accessible electric vehicle.
After his time at Tesla, Clawson worked at Zymergen, a SoftBank-backed synthetic biology company that was later acquired by archrival Gingko Bioworks. After the merger, Clawson served as vice president of engineering for the company’s data center advanced technology innovation group at Google, responsible for environmentally friendly cooling solutions for data centers and other sustainable growth initiatives.
Clausen isn’t the only former Tesla executive to join GM. The company’s board of directors includes former Tesla president of global sales and service Jon McNeill.
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