PeopleofSuperintelligence

Builder

John Krafcik

John Krafcik led Google's self-driving car project and served as Waymo's CEO as it built an autonomous driving business. He studied mechanical engineering at Stanford and management at MIT, then worked at NUMMI and Ford before leading Hyundai Motor America and TrueCar. In 2025, he backed Bedrock Robotics, whose autonomous construction technology uses advanced AI. He received the 2026 Mobility Innovator Award. As of October 2026, he serves on Rivian's board.

Now at
Rivian Automotive, Inc.

Timeline

  1. 1983–1990

    Studying lean production

    He earns a mechanical engineering degree at Stanford in 1983 and a master's in management at MIT in 1988. From 1984 to 1986, he works at NUMMI as a quality and manufacturing engineer; from 1986 to 1990, he researches lean production through MIT's International Motor Vehicle Program.

  2. 1990–2004

    Engineering at Ford

    He joins Ford in 1990 and works there for 14 years, including as a chief engineer for truck chassis engineering.

  3. 2004–2013

    Leading Hyundai Motor America

    He joins Hyundai in 2004 as vice president for product development and strategic planning. He becomes president and CEO of Hyundai Motor America, leading its North American operations through 2013.

  4. 2014–2015

    From TrueCar to Google

    He becomes TrueCar's president in 2014. Google hires him in September 2015 to lead its self-driving cars unit.

  5. 2015–2021

    Leading Waymo's autonomous program

    He leads Google's self-driving car project from 2015; it becomes Waymo, an Alphabet business, in 2016. In 2021, he leaves the CEO role after five and a half years leading the team.

  6. 2023–2025

    Rivian director and Bedrock investor

    He joins Rivian's board in 2023. In July 2025, he is an early investor in Bedrock Robotics, whose autonomous construction technology uses advanced AI.

  7. 2026

    A mobility innovation award

    At CES in January 2026, he receives the Mobility Innovator Award.

  8. As of October 2026

    On Rivian's board

    As of October 2026, he is a member of Rivian's board of directors.

Sources and credits

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  1. John Krafcik - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org. Checked 15 October 2026.
  2. How I Made It: John Krafcik, TrueCar's top executive latimes.com. Checked 15 October 2026.
  3. Say hello to Waymo: what's next for Google's self-driving car project? waymo.com. Checked 15 October 2026.
  4. A capstone of my career: email from John Krafcik to Waymonauts waymo.com. Checked 15 October 2026.
  5. John Krafcik joins Rivian's Board of Directors rivian.com. Checked 15 October 2026.
  6. Bedrock Robotics Emerges from Stealth with $80M in Funding for Autonomous Construction Technology prnewswire.com. Checked 15 October 2026.
  7. Automotive Hall of Fame 2026 Mobility Innovator Award Ceremony, presented by EY ces.tech. Checked 15 October 2026.