Rivian’s Post

I spent a lot of time just staring at the flashing cursor and all this white space, struggling to figure out what to say with this post but unfortunately, my amazing ride with Rivian has come to an end. When I was contacted by Rivian, on this very platform in fact, about leading Recruiting efforts for Rivian's Global Facilities Team, my first thought was ... What is Rivian? Admittedly, I'm not a car enthusiast. I WAS presented with an opportunity to build out an Owner's Rep Construction company, a mid-sized Architecture firm, a small Real Estate Development Team, and an-in house Facilities Operations team ... ALL under the umbrella of a start-up Electric Vehicle Company bringing the very first Electric Pickup Truck to the masses. This was a very rare opportunity I could not pass up so I was instantly on board. Thousands of zoom meetings and hundreds of signed Offers later, I only reflect positively about my experience at this company. The People at Rivian were always the competitive advantage with extremely empathetic leaders and very high emotional intelligence. These last 3.5 years were hard but that's what made it great! Borrowing a line from A League of Their Own here but "it's supposed to be hard, if it wasn't hard, everyone would do it. The HARD it was makes it great". This was the moniker of our G&A Recruiting Team led by a top shelf leader in Tami P. and I was able to find niche talent and bring on exceptionally skilled leaders to the company. We're talking purple squirrels with rainbow tails here ... more than I can count on both hands. It was an incredible leap of faith to join a company during peak COVID, where I didn't even meet a single co-worker in person for at least the first 8 months. 94% of my peers at Rivian don't even know how tall I am because we have only interacted on Zoom so my only existence lied within the cropped area of a small digital box. All that said, I am going to take some time to decompress, see rivers, see waterfalls, see mountains and kickstart my search in due time. I would love to stay in the AEC Industry if I can because I can make an instant impact there with a vast network but for now, I will only think fondly of my time at Rivian and I look back on it as an amazing experience with only positive relationships day in and day out. #OpenToWork #recruiting #jobsearch

Rivian, the electric carmaker, is facing challenges as it plans to cut 10% of its salaried workforce due to slowing EV demand. Despite doubling EV deliveries in 2023, the company reported a $5.4 billion profit loss for the year. The 2024 production is expected to fall short of analysts' expectations. This decision reflects the economic uncertainty and changing consumer preferences in the EV market. Rivian aims to prioritize growth areas and invest in new launches. The company is also offering support to impacted employees through the separation process. #Rivian #ElectricVehicles #WorkforceReduction #EVMarketChallenges

I just had a shockingly bad buying experience with Rivian. After putting down a $500 deposit... - Portal wouldn't take my ID upload. Tried 4 different versions and countless tries. 1-2min load time each attempt. No explanation in error. - Tried to get assistance from support. 10min hold for phone. 20min for chat. Ultimately told my salesperson is only person who can help. Salesperson unavailable. Ask support if they can just cancel, but I am stuck. Every other dealership in St. Louis is open... - Retry upload a couple times next morning. No luck. - Salesperson lets me know that since I started buying process, only my "guide" can help. Says guide will call me. - Get a call from Rivian. Obviously no one there is talking to each other, because I get a hard close to finish my transaction today so I don't lose a discount I wasn't aware of. Turns out this wasn't my guide. It's my "scheduler" calling to schedule delivery for a car I can't seem to buy. - Around same time as the scheduler call, the guides finally respond to my email containing photos of my IDs, because I just love emailing that type of data to a Rivian distro. - Guides don't seem willing to communicate via email. 4 sent unanswered. Couple hours of phone tag. They called once, I hit their VM twice. - Call salesperson. Turns out my number is routed to my guide. VM thrice. - Call the service center where I test drove to try to get some help. They're nice, but can't do much but promise a call back from one of the characters above. - In the process, also realize that there's something about my selection I want to change. Go to online chat because that's the only place I can get a response. They let me know that I would need to sacrifice my $500 deposit and do it again to change anything. Crazy. - Guide finally calls. Tells me support was wrong, but also that they'd understand if I wanted to cancel, so I did. I guess I'm out $500? I worry about the environment and wanted to buy electric. I like to buy American too. My dad and sister went to school at Illinois State in Bloomington-Normal, the community that would benefit from having one more Rivian to build. All this made me feel like the risk of an unproven EV company was worth it. The buying process made it clear it wasn't.

"You sell through fear." An overly ambitious boss who has it all "figured out" told me this "fact" during one of my first internships. Sure, that's one way to go, just like eating fast food for every meal is one way to eat. But there are consequences to doom and gloom, and as an optimist, I always had trouble with this comment. It's easy to tear down. It's far more difficult to build a clear vision for people to follow and fuel. That is why I really loved the approach that RJ Scaringe and the entire Rivian team took to launching their new line of EVs. Not only did they show incredible brand maturity in their experience, but they also worked to communicate common feelings of positivity, exploration, and joy. In our culture today, where challenges and conflict seem to pop up daily, unveiling the R2, R3, and R3x isn't just a showcase of groundbreaking electric vehicles—it's a testament to the power of optimism. The Rivian brand does more than manufacture electric cars; it brings the feeling of exploration and the experiences of the outdoors into its brand. What struck me most profoundly about Rivian's approach, brilliantly highlighted in their latest launch, is the company's sense of optimism. From the hopeful keynote to the brand's marketing narratives, everything about Rivian screams optimism. Their products ditch the conventional path of masculinity and aggression in trucks for something far rare and needed today: electrified joy. Joy. It's a sensation that has become all too scarce in our lives, yet Rivian has managed to weave it seamlessly into the fabric of its brand. This feeling of joy and discovery starkly contrasts the path created by other brands. Because, of course, (sarcasm alert) we all need a demo to prove a new stainless steel armored SUV is bulletproof. There's a demo that certainly paints a particular vision of tomorrow... Yet, Rivian has begun to create a unique brand personality in a hyper-competitive world of super-charged EV startups. They've reclaimed and are redefining the narrative of optimistic futurism—a mantle once held by Tesla and pursued by companies like Apple. Rivian is crafting a future where technology and humanity coalesce, fostering a world that's not just about surviving, but thriving in our environment. This latest Rivian reveal is more than new models hitting the market; it's a declaration of Rivian's vision for our future—one where joy, discovery, and optimism aren't just marketing tactics to use quarterly but the very essence of the brand. As we look ahead, Rivian's journey is exciting not just for electric vehicle enthusiasts but for anyone who believes in a future where technology enhances our world in joyful, optimistic ways. As someone who has made a career of creatively crafting new ideas, I always lean towards a bright future. Now, I'm certainly leaning toward that R3 model... #brandpersonality #brandidentity #optimism #rivian #evbranding

Rivian is laying off 10% of its workforce. Very sorry to those team members. Yet, this is an important time to talk about economics of scale in all things EV. Rivian has a workforce of 16,700. That's massive for a company of its age and size. EV startups have to be aggressive in cost control. Everyone has to work harder, smarter and every single team member has to be onboard with cost control. There is a problem of scale at companies, and it started with FAANG. Directors established their value by hiring massive teams. We are not in the business of empire building, we are trying to change the world. Wishing the best to those affected at Rivian. https://lnkd.in/g9n_ZPDN

🔮 Making a prediction: Rivian's decision to cut costs by laying off 10% of its salaried workforce is a strategic move that will have a ripple effect on the future of the company: 🚗 Introducing the R2 might face delays, but the market for affordable EVs is still promising, and Rivian can bounce back stronger. 🔌 With mounting pressure in the electric vehicle market, Rivian must stay agile and innovative to maintain its competitive edge. 💡 Conclusion: This setback is a temporary challenge that Rivian can overcome through resilience and adaptation. Exciting times lie ahead for the electric vehicle industry and Rivian's role in shaping it.

Rivian and Similar EV Makers Boost Hiring and Production in Anticipation of Electric Vehicle Surge, Yet Face Backlash for Pricing Beyond Average American's Reach – Concerns Arise Over Sustainable Business Practices and Market Impact. The only lovers are the employees. https://lnkd.in/eehDVQiW #rivian #ev #electriccars #EVMarketDynamics #sustainableautofuture #rivianinsight #affordableEVs

Rivian lays off 10% of workforce as EV pricing pressure mounts Rivian is laying disconnected 10% of its salaried workforce successful a bid to chopped costs successful an progressively pugnacious marketplace for electrical vehicles, putting adjacent much unit connected future, much affordable EV called the R2. A constricted fig of non-manufacturing hourly employees volition besides beryllium cut, laminitis and CEO RJ Scaringe said successful a companywide email. The institution much than doubled the fig of EVs it built and shipped successful 2023 compared to 2022. But Rivian inactive mislaid much than $5.4 cardinal for the year, and announced Wednesday that it lone expects to physique the aforesaid magnitude — 57,000 — electrical vehicles crossed each of 2024. As a result, Rivian says it expects to suffer astir $2.7 cardinal successful 2024, and has decided to “continue its company-wide outgo translation program.” That includes changes to the plan and engineering of its vehicles, making manufacturing much efficient, and laying disconnected much employees. The institution antecedently chopped 6% of its unit successful February 2023 arsenic it sought to scope profitability. “Our concern is facing a challenging macroeconomic situation — including historically precocious involvement rates and geopolitical uncertainty — and we request to marque purposeful changes present to guarantee our promising future,” laminitis and CEO RJ Scaringe said successful an email to the company. “We indispensable strategically prioritize our maturation areas of the business, including the motorboat of Peregrine and R2 arsenic good arsenic investing successful our go-to-market capabilities.” This communicative is developing. Check backmost for updates. https://ift.tt/f2NaO7M

Quote from the article: "It's just not clear how many people are willing to spend $100,000 on an electric pickup truck." My guess: not that many! Rivian has raised $23B (with a B) over 15 rounds + an IPO and was once the "next Tesla". It laid off (via email....come on, man!) 10% of its workforce or 1,000 employees last week. The most anxiety generating question every entrepreneur is faced with is "if I build it, will they come". In most cases, they do not. Fortunately, that does not prevent those entrepreneurs to go ahead (because it takes a special kind of person to go ahead with a plan that you know has 95% chances of failure). That being said, you would think that $23B would "buy" expertise and experience to surround the entrepreneur with processes, advices and guardrails to not completely believe his/her own marketing BS. [I write BS because when you introduce a completely new product that requires consumers to drastically change their behavior, you do not know how long it's going to take for the market to take off, if ever....my famous example: the Segway). Rivian was run as if "they" not only would be coming, but were at the doors of the factory to take delivery of their trucks. Come on, man! And now 1000 people paid the price. The saddest thing, IMHO, is the fact the CEO kept his job. And probably the Board as well. https://lnkd.in/dFBFYRvZ

Flat may be the new up for EV makers. Rivian Automotive, an all-electric challenger to Tesla's throne, expects zero growth in production volumes. It forecast output of 57,000 EVs in 2024, in line with last year but well below analysts' projections for 80,000 units. Investors took a cleaver to Rivian's stock price on the news, sending it down by the most on record to the lowest level since it went public in late 2021. The company blamed a litany of woes for the sluggish EV demand, including high financing costs and an uncertain economic outlook. RJ Scaringe, the company's CEO, told me Rivian has begun leasing vehicles as a way to blunt the impact of the Fed's war on inflation. Customers from some surprising places have signed up for the leasing deals, helped by a federal credit of $7,500. “Interest rates are so high that I’m currently leasing a Rivian,” he said in an interview. For more, click here: https://lnkd.in/eN9ZK2k8