Joseph Mardall, an engineering director at Tesla, has departed to take up the mantle of head of engineering at drone delivery service Zipline, reports CNBC.
Zipline is a 2014 startup that manufactures drones and also uses them to deliver critical medical supplies across multiple countries.
Mardall spearheaded multiple high-profile projects during his decade-long tenure at Tesla. Some of his most noteworthy accomplishments at the company include the development of HVAC and thermal technologies for Model X and Model 3 — which went on to become the best-selling car in Iceland in 2020.
For his contribution to Tesla’s latest SUV, the Model Y, he led the team that developed the all-electric vehicle’s heat pump system. Tesla CEO Elon Musk touted the design as “some of the best engineering I’ve seen in a while.”
Mardall also helmed the efforts that went into engineering Tesla’s ventilator for COVID patients out of car components.
Announcing the move in a post on his LinkedIn profile, Mardall wrote:
″After 10 wonderful years at Tesla, I’m super excited to start my next chapter as Head of Engineering at Zipline, working with a team of talented and committed engineers to provide every human on Earth with instant access to vital medical supplies. The next 5 years are going to change everything and I can’t wait! We are hiring for all roles across engineering and I would love to hear from you – come fly with me!”
It appears this is a loss for Tesla, as Mardall lead some important teams at the company. Zipline must have made him a compelling offer to jump ship.
Nehal has been writing for over half his life now, and has a passion for everything tech — from electric vehicles to the latest smartphones and everything in between.