Back in December 2023, GM Authority reported that Cruise COO Gil West was fired in the midst of investigations into the October 2023 incident where a pedestrian was trapped and dragged underneath the Cruise AV robotaxi after being struck by a human-driven vehicle. Now, West has landed a new role as CEO of rental car company Hertz.
According to a report from Bloomberg, the move comes as Stephen Scherr announced his decision to step down as Hertz’s Chief Executive Officer late last Friday. Notably, Scherr was pivot in the rental car company’s commitment to offering more all-electric vehicles following its 2020 bankruptcy. Of course, this initiative has not been well received, as Hertz will now sell off approximately 20,000 EVs, citing lackluster demand, costly depreciation and expensive repairs.
After Gil West’s departure from Cruise, he was approached about serving as CEO of the struggling rental car company, as Hertz’s owners believed that he was a good fit by virtue of his firsthand experience with electric vehicles and an appreciation of potential pitfalls for electrification. As an added bonus, West is a resident of southwest Florida, which is close to Hertz headquarters.
Interestingly, West was asked to become the CEO of Hertz before Scherr was ever installed into the position. However, General Motors had big plans for its autonomous driving endeavors, and refused to let him go.
Before his time with Cruise, West also served as COO for Delta Air Lines, where he was credited with improving the efficiency and performance of the company, as well as playing an important role in its integration with Northwest Airlines.
“Gil is a fantastic operator,” Delta CEO Ed Bastian remarked in an interview. “We worked side-by-side for a dozen years. He’s an innovator, he loves technology, he’s meticulous, he’s curious and he loves a challenge – all great attributes.”
It’s worth noting that Scherr will assist West until leaving the company and its board on March 31st, 2024.
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Comments
Blind leading the blind.
Kamikaze Auto Rentals!
Sure, because Cruise did *sooo* well.
It’s called failing upward.
This really seams to be the problem of our society today. We recycle losers at the top end.
How about find an absolutely booming small business, take the owner and throw money at them till they agree to sign on so you have someone who knows how to be a game changer and survive tight finances. Also someone who’s been down with the workers so knows how to motivate individuals.
because the challenges of running a small business vs a large public enterprise are vastly different.
Nepotism
Booted unexpectedly by Delta and then by Cruise.
This is like Hertz putting used tires on all its vehicles.