General Motors, Lyft and Cray execs join Aurora

(Photo credit: Aurora)

Among the self-driving technology set, the summer of 2020 will be remembered for the pandemic and uptick in development and commercialization of autonomous trucking.

A case in point is autonomous vehicle company Aurora, which this summer expanded testing of its autonomous Class 8 trucks to Texas and moved to a new Pittsburgh headquarters.

On Wednesday, the Amazon-backed company announced a few more growth indicators. It revealed new information about its headcount, claiming 600 employees, up from 500 in May. Also announced: three new executive hires — from General Motors, Lyft and Cray Inc.

General Motors veteran David Maday signed on as Aurora’s first VP of global business development. He most recently led corporate development and global M&A activities at General Motors as the OEM seeks to accelerate electrification and autonomous driving.  

SVP of Software Engineering Stathis Papaefstathiou was the SVP of research and development for Cray, where he led the development of the next-generation exascale class supercomputing line, Shasta. He also spent more than a decade at Microsoft.

VP of Finance Richard Tame, formerly head of finance at Lyft, led finance support for its R&D and Level 5 self-driving divisions. Prior to that he worked at Facebook, Microsoft and Amazon.

“While developing the best technology safely and quickly is at the core of everything we do,” the company stated in a press release, “bringing the Aurora Driver to market is also a top priority – first in middle-mile trucking applications, then in last-mile goods delivery and finally in passenger mobility networks. Our new leaders strengthen our ability to do this.”

Upcoming FreightWaves Events
Compliance

Brokerage Compliance Symposium

The day before F3. Every compliance issue you face - fraud exposure, carrier liability, FMCSA rules, cargo theft, insurance gaps - navigated by attorneys and operators defining best practices in a changing industry.

October 26, 2026
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN
Register Now
Awards

F3 Awards Dinner

The night before F3. FreightTech100 companies honored. FreightTech 25 and Shipper of Choice winners revealed live. Cocktail reception into dinner and live music - 300 industry leaders in one purpose-built room.

October 26, 2026
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN
Register Now
FreightTech

F3: Future of Freight Festival

Industry-defining keynotes, rapid-fire technology demos, and industry leaders networking in experiences across Chattanooga - plus the inaugural F3 Awards Dinner featuring the FreightTech and Shipper of Choice reveals.

October 27, 2026 – October 28, 2026
The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN
Register Now
Compliance Brokerage Compliance Symposium Oct 26 • The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN

The day before F3. Every compliance issue you face - fraud exposure, carrier liability, FMCSA rules, cargo theft, insurance gaps - navigated by attorneys and operators defining best practices in a changing industry.

The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now
Awards F3 Awards Dinner Oct 26 • The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN

The night before F3. FreightTech100 companies honored. FreightTech 25 and Shipper of Choice winners revealed live. Cocktail reception into dinner and live music - 300 industry leaders in one purpose-built room.

The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now
FreightTech F3: Future of Freight Festival Oct 27 – Oct 28 • The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN

Industry-defining keynotes, rapid-fire technology demos, and industry leaders networking in experiences across Chattanooga - plus the inaugural F3 Awards Dinner featuring the FreightTech and Shipper of Choice reveals.

The Signal at Chattanooga Choo Choo • Chattanooga, TN Register Now

Linda Baker, Senior Environment and Technology Reporter

Linda Baker is a FreightWaves senior reporter based in Portland, Oregon. Her beat includes autonomous vehicles, the startup scene, clean trucking, and emissions regulations. Please send tips and story ideas to lbaker@freightwaves.com.