Pilotless air taxi developer Wisk Aero LLC will soon have a new CEO from the ranks of The Boeing Co.
The Mountain View startup, a joint venture of Boeing and Kitty Hawk Corp., announced Tuesday that Brian Yutko will be its new head. Yutko will take over Feb. 1 from Gary Gysin, who is retiring at the end of this month after serving as Wisk's CEO since the company launched in 2019.
Yutko, who's been a member of Wisk's board since 2021, was most recently vice president of Boeing's Sustainability & Future Mobility unit, overseeing the aviation giant's efforts in electric-powered and autonomous aircraft. That dovetail's with Wisk's mission: the company is focused on developing an autonomous electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft.
"I've spent my career pursuing the future of aviation, and Wisk is the embodiment of that pursuit," Yutko said in Tuesday's announcement. "We have no plans of slowing down," he continued, "and I'm excited to lead this incredible team as we advance safe, everyday, autonomous flight."
Although Yutko has worked for Boeing in Massachusetts, he will relocate to Mountain View for his new position, according to Wisk spokesman Chris Brown. He will resign his post at Boeing when he joins Wisk, according to the announcement.
As a board member, Yutko helped Wisk work more closely with Boeing, and alongside Gysin, he helped champion the company's strategy of waiting to launch an air taxi service until it can offer pilotless rides, Wisk Chairman Brian Schettler said in the announcement.
"We are excited to welcome Brian Yutko as Wisk's new CEO," Schettler said.
Gysin had been planning to step down
The CEO change comes after Gysin last summer told Wisk's board he planned to step down, the company said in its announcement. Gysin has worked in the tech industry for decades. Prior to joining Wisk, he was the CEO of Liquid Robotics Inc., a Sunnyvale startup that was developing an unmanned ocean robot when Boeing acquired it in 2016.
"Leading Wisk has been one of the most rewarding roles of my career, and I'm honored to have helped lay the foundation for both the company and the future of mobility," Gysin said in the announcement.
In the news release, Schettler thanked Gysin for his leadership.
"Gary's authenticity, execution, and vision have established Wisk as a leader in advanced air mobility, built trust among the broader public, and advanced the industry as a whole," said Schettler, who is a partner at a Florida venture partnership with Boeing.
Wisk's plan to focus on autonomous aircraft stands in contrast to most of its competitors. Rivals including Santa Cruz-based Joby Aviation Inc. (NYSE:JOBY) and San Jose-based Archer Aviation Inc. (NYSE:ACHR), intend to offer air taxi service via piloted eVTOLs as soon as their aircraft gain regulatory approval, which they project could come in 2024 or 2025
The CEO switch comes about a year after Wisk, which has some 500 employees, raised $450 million from Boeing and about four months after Palo Alto-based Kittyhawk, which was developing its own electric-powered autonomous aircraft, shut down. Despite ceasing operations, Kittyhawk, which is backed by Google co-founder Larry Page, remains a partner with Boeing in Wisk, Brown said.
