Waymo Snatches Former Tesla Hardware Development Chief

Waymo's hardware development team for self-driving vehicles will now be led by Satish Jeyachandran, previously director of hardware engineering at Tesla.

Jeyachandran made the announcement yesterday on LinkedIn. He left Tesla a few months prior to the move to Waymo. Jeyachadran says of the choice, "I wanted to join Waymo because it has a talented, mission-driven team that has made impressive advancements in self-driving hardware."

Jeyachandran worked on autopilot systems, in addition to other vehicle aspects for Tesla. In his new position, he said: "At Waymo, I'll focus on building out Waymo's custom self-driving hardware, and pursuing opportunities to scale Waymo's technology." Jeyachandran also praised the Waymo team as "laser-focused on bringing its products to market."

He also described Waymo as an opportunity for him to make a difference in the world:

I've always wanted to be part of something that can have a meaningful impact well beyond my own personal contributions. Self-driving cars are one of those things. This technology offers incredible potential to save millions of lives, and I'm looking forward to working with the team at Waymo.

This hire could be a significant move for Waymo in getting more autonomous vehicles on the streets.