GM's Cruise Appoints Former Ford & Apple Exec. Steve Kenner as Chief Safety Officer

GM's troubled self-driving unit Cruise has appointed Steve Kenner as its Chief Safety Officer. Kenner will oversee Cruise's safety management systems and operations, working in direct partnership with the Board of Directors.

In November, 2023, Cruise CEO, Kyle Vogt, resigned following safety concerns after a hit-and-run incident in which a human driver collided with a pedestrian crossing the street in San Francisco. This launched the pedestrian directly in front of one of Cruise's fully-autonomous vehicles.

Cruise's license to deploy and test fully-driverless vehicles in the state of California was subsequently suspended by the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). 

Kenner brings deep expertise on autonomous vehicle safety standards, safety culture and regulation through his previous leadership positions at Kodiak, Apple, Uber, Locomation and Aurora. 

 He began his career as an engineer at General Motors, and he served as Global Director of Automotive Safety at Ford. 

Kenner says: "Safety requires that every team within a company work together to put passengers and other road users first. That partnership must include regulators, and I look forward to earning their trust. At the end of the day we have the same goal as regulators: to make our roadways safer and establish public confidence in the AV industry. I have worked on safety critical technologies throughout my career, I believe in the safety potential of autonomous vehicles, and I want to safely and responsibly realize that potential."

"As we look forward to Cruise's next chapter, we know we must continually improve our overall safety performance and work to build trust with regulators, other government officials and our communities," adds Glidden. "Steve Kenner brings the perfect blend of experience in AV and automotive safety excellence to help deliver on these important priorities." 

Cruise has received $10 billion from companies and investors, including GM, Honda, Microsoft, T. Rowe Price, and Walmart,