Nikola’s newly appointed CEO served on GM’s board of directors from 2009 to 2016
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Nikola’s newly appointed CEO, Steve Girsky, who has assumed the role in August this year, draws a striking parallel to how GM once underestimated Tesla. Speaking during a Q&A session, he emphasized that Tesla was frequently regarded as “just a bunch of engineers playing with laptop batteries” in the past. Girsky believes that Nikola now possesses a substantial advantage over its competitors, reminiscent of the underestimated position that Tesla held during its early years.
Girsky served on GM’s board of directors from 2009 to 2016. As the CEO of Nikola, he notes that there is an infectious energy within the organization. He attributes much of this enthusiasm to the team’s unwavering “never give up attitude.” Girsky believes that this same spirit is what empowered Tesla to establish the significant position it holds today.
Reflecting on his tenure at GM, Girsky commented, “I asked about Tesla and was told that it was just a bunch of engineers playing with laptop batteries… That was the conventional wisdom at the time, and we know how that turned out… Tesla gained a 10-year head start on the entire industry.” Girsky perceives Nikola as currently presented with a similar opportunity to outpace the competition.
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“The big guys are writing off the zero-emission trucking industry,” he said. “I know they’re playing with prototypes, but they believe this tech is late-decade stuff at the earliest.” Nikola might be saddled with a number of very serious concerns about viability but they have spent many years developing both all-electric and hydrogen fuel-cell trucks.
In fact, Girsky says that one of the brand’s gamma hydrogen fuel-cell trucks is in testing and recently drove 900 miles (1,448 km) in a single day. He then challenged anyone to show him another “zero-emission vehicle truck anywhere” that can go that far in a day.
Tesla obviously went from being dismissed to being the powerhouse that it is today in part because automakers didn’t believe in profitable electric cars. Presently, it’s clear that Tesla’s influence has encompassed the globe and just about every single automaker on it, including those who specialize in sports cars and trucks.
If Nikola can prove half as successful it’ll be a resounding comeback story given recent developments.
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