Hyperloop One Replaces Co-Founder Brogan BamBrogan with Josh Giegel
July 01 2016 - 4:40PM
Dow Jones News
Hyperloop One Inc. on Friday announced an executive shake-up,
replacing one of the startup's founders with its vice president of
engineering, as it faces a critical juncture in bringing its
high-speed shuttle-transport technology to life.
Hyperloop One said it has promoted Josh Giegel to president of
engineering and added the title of co-founder. Mr. Giegel, who
joined the company in November 2014, is taking over from Brogan
BamBrogan, who as chief technology officer and co-founder was the
public face of the company, especially in recent tests of its
technology.
The reason behind the shake-up was unclear. A Hyperloop One
spokesman said Mr. BamBrogan "has decided to take a step back from
Hyperloop One. We appreciate everything that he has done to put us
on the path to creating the world's first Hyperloop."
The executive changes are an unexpected sign of turmoil, as
Hyperloop One races to commercialize the tube-transport idea, first
floated by billionaire inventor Elon Musk in a 2013 paper:
transporting people in low-pressure tubes at 760 miles an hour,
nearly the speed of sound.
The company has committed to build and test a complete hyperloop
by the end of the year and has announced its goal of building a
fully operational hyperloop by 2020. In May, Hyperloop One
conducted the first test of its propulsion technology in the desert
near Las Vegas.
Mr. BamBrogan played a highly-visible role at the event,
alongside Shervin Pishevar, the duo the company previously
identified as its co-founders. They were joined by Rob Lloyd , a
former Cisco Systems Inc. executive whom they hired as chief
executive last year. Mr. Pishevar, who remains executive chairman,
didn't respond to a request for comment.
Hyperloop One has recently signed deals to explore bringing its
transport system to places such as Russia, Switzerland, Dubai and
the Port of Los Angeles.
Mr. Giegel will now be the one responsible for making the
technology work as promised. He has moved up the corporate ladder
at Hyperloop One before.
He joined as vice president of design and analysis and in March
was promoted to senior vice president of engineering, according to
his LinkedIn profile. Previously, Mr. Giegel held senior roles at
Mr. Musk's Space Exploration Technologies Corp. and Virgin Galactic
LLC. Hyperloop One said he would join the board of directors.
The company didn't say why Mr. Giegel is now being identified as
a co-founder, when he previously wasn't mentioned as such.
Write to Nathan Olivarez-Giles at Nathan.Olivarez-giles@wsj.com
and Georgia Wells at Georgia.Wells@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
July 01, 2016 16:25 ET (20:25 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2016 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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