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Tesla loses Cybercab assembly manager to Rivian R2 weeks after launch

📍 Electrek

Jody Kerns, Senior Manager of Cybercab General Assembly at Gigafactory Texas, is leaving Tesla to become Rivian's Director of General Assembly for the R2 in Normal, Illinois, according to a LinkedIn post. He joined Tesla in January 2024 and from February 2026 ran final assembly of the Cybercab in Austin, including the ramp to commercial service. He is the second Cybercab launch leader to leave this year: Michael So, former Head of Cybercab NPI, left in April. Kerns spent 14 years at Volkswagen of America, where he managed about 1,200 people.…

🔎 Why it matters: It is the second departure of a Cybercab launch leader in 2026, after Michael So in April. Kerns ran Cybercab general assembly in Austin from February 2026.
📈 Upside: Rivian gains someone who integrated the ID.4 into the Chattanooga plant and launched a new vehicle from scratch, according to his profile.
📉 Risk: Tesla's Cybercab ramp remains under NHTSA's Special Order without two of the leaders who ran it from the line.
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