Dive Brief:
- Rebecca Tinucci is succeeding Uber Freight founder Lior Ron as the company’s CEO, according to an Aug. 12 press release.
- Tinucci most recently served as Uber’s head of electrification and sustainability and was previously responsible for managing Tesla’s global charging-related business units, per her LinkedIn.
- Ron will become the COO of autonomous trucking startup Waabi, in addition to his new role as Uber Freight chairman. Uber was one of the lead investors in Waabi’s $200 million Series B round in 2024.
Dive Insight:
Uber Freight tapped Tinucci to lead the company through a pivotal transition, just months after the subsidiary unveiled a scaled AI logistics network built on its own logistics-specific large language model and integrated into an upgraded Transportation Management System.
“Uber Freight has built something truly special — a platform that changes the game for shippers, carriers, and the entire industry,” Tinucci said in the release. “I couldn’t be more excited to roll up my sleeves with this team to keep raising the bar for our customers and showing the market what’s next.”
Tinucci has only been at Uber for one year, but in that time, she was credited with connecting fragmented systems, scaling networks and accelerating technology adoption — which Uber Freight says reflects the same hurdles it’s facing.
Additionally, during her tenure at Tesla, Tinucci was recognized for helping to reshape the electric vehicle charging landscape. She finalized Tesla’s charging-station deals with Ford Motor Co., General Motors and other automakers, allowing more drivers to access the Supercharger network.
Despite those milestones, Tinucci — and her entire 500-member Supercharger team — was fired by Tesla CEO Elon Musk in May 2024, according to a report by Reuters.
“We achieved every result that was asked of us, even the seemingly impossible ones, and with that changed the future of the industry,” Tinucci said in a LinkedIn post after her departure from Tesla.
Uber Freight said Tinucci’s experience with charging infrastructure at Tesla will be relevant to helping shippers adopt new digital and operational models in logistics, according to the press release.
