EVwire brief: Lucid Motors is cutting about 18% of its workforce just four months after it cut 12% of its headcount. About 1,500 workers will be affected.
The layoffs are the first major move by new CEO Silvio Napoli, who took the job in April. Lucid is also eliminating the second shift of production at its Casa Grande, Arizona factory.
In a statement, Lucid stated that the cuts were an effort of its new CEO to “simplify the company, sharpen execution, and position Lucid to become more competitive over time.” The company expects to generate around $158 million in annualized savings following the workforce cut.
New CEO Silvio Napoli is making Lucid a lot leaner in preparation for the Cosmos
Marc Winterhoff, who ran Lucid as interim CEO for more than a year before Napoli arrived, has left the company. He had been expected to stay on as chief operating officer, but Lucid said in a regulatory filing that it has eliminated the COO role entirely.
The restructuring should be done by the third quarter, with about $32 million in severance. Winterhoff will receive severance, "certain security support," and will keep his company car.
Our render of the Lucid Cosmos, based on patent filings
Context:
Winterhoff is only the latest departure. Lucid has lost more than a dozen top executives in two years, including longtime CEO Peter Rawlinson, who resigned in February 2025, and chief engineer Eric Bach, let go late last year and now in a wrongful-termination dispute. Another longtime executive, Emad Dlala, resigned earlier this month, only a few months after a promotion.
The timing is quite awkward. Lucid is trying to launch its first mass-market vehicle later this year, the Cosmos SUV, a sub-$50,000 model meant to put it on a path to profitability. Lucid is also pushing into autonomy, with a luxury robotaxi service planned with Uber and Nuro for San Francisco later this year. The company declined to say whether any programs are being mothballed.
Napoli is cutting deep and fast, and betting that a leaner Lucid can get the Cosmos out the door.
Lucid has seen its fair share of executive departures
Ex-Lucid employees and rivals react
The effects of the layoffs are notable. Travis Cournoyer, a former AI workflow lead at Lucid Motors, described the atmosphere in the automaker following the previous round of layoffs. He also described how sudden the layoffs were, and what he needs to do to recover.
“The last 12% reduction had me really, really upset for over a week. Please have grace with yourself if you're not working at your best this week. […] Second: As my family's sole financial provider, I'll do my processing later. I need a new job!” Cournoyer wrote.
Source
Other EV companies have already swept in to make their offers to those affected by Lucid’s workforce reduction. In a post on LinkedIn, Slate Plant Manager David D’Amato II stated that Slate is willing to welcome anyone from Lucid who wishes to apply.
Source: Lucid Motors SEC filing, TechCrunch
DON'T FORGET to subscribe and join 14,000+ EV geeks getting the day's EV and AV news first.
