GM names Marc Whitten CEO of Cruise

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General Motors’ autonomous driving technology unit, Cruise, has named Marc Whitten as its new CEO, effective July 16, the company announced in a press release.

Whitten was a founding engineer of Xbox and Xbox Live and has deep expertise in software, hardware, platforms and services, according to the press release. Cruise said he will play a key role in helping the company scale its commercial passenger transportation business.

A new CEO will take the helm as Cruise tries to recover from an October 2023 vehicle collision in San Francisco that led to the suspension of its robotaxi operations, a series of regulatory investigations and several firings or resignations of executives – including its then-CEO and co-founder Kyle Vogt.

Now, Cruise is preparing to resume operations. The company has restarted supervised autonomous driving in Phoenix, Arizona; Houston, Texas; and Dallas, Texas; and in Dubai. But instead of taking passengers, the vehicles are manually driven to collect data used to create highly accurate maps that enable autonomous navigation.

The company has not yet resumed commercial passenger transportation operations in San Francisco, where it is based. But GM Chief Financial Officer Paul Jacobson announced this month at Deutsche Bank’s World Auto Industry Conference that the automaker would invest $850 million in Cruise in preparation for its relaunch.

Cruise says Whitten’s experience will be critical to his “vision of offering technologies and services that provide tangible benefits to society.”

Whitten also served as chief product officer at audio company Sonos. Most recently, he served as Chief Product and Technology Officer at Unity, where he helped expand the use of AI and 3D technology in game development.

“In a few years, transportation will be fundamentally safer and more accessible than today, creating much more value for individuals and communities around the world. “Being part of this transformation is the opportunity of a lifetime,” Whitten said in a press release. “The Cruise team has created world-class technology and I look forward to working with them to help accomplish this critical mission.”

In addition to naming Whitten as CEO, GM announced appointments to other executive positions at Cruise in a press release.

Craig Glidden, who previously served as GM executive vice president and chief legal and public policy officer, will now serve as Cruise’s president and chief administrative officer, responsible for legal, government affairs, finance, communications and human resources.

She will also support Whitten in his new position as CEO of Cruise and will remain executive vice president and strategic advisor at GM.

Glidden will be replaced at GM by Grant Dixton, who will join the automaker on July 15 as executive vice president and chief legal and public policy officer. Dixton previously held senior management positions at Activision Blizzard and Boeing. He will report to GM CEO Mary Barra.

“Grant Dixton is a respected leader and legal expert who has deep knowledge of the transportation, manufacturing and technology sectors,” Barra said in a press release.

Finally, Cruise named Nick Mulholland as his director of communications and marketing. Mullholland previously led Rivian’s global communications team, including brand, corporate and sustainability communications for the electric vehicle startup.