An influential engineering director at Tesla, Joe Mardall, has resigned his place on the automaker to change into head of engineering at Zipline, based on his personal LinkedIn profile.

Zipline is a drone maker and aerial supply service targeted on distribution of blood and different medical provides.

Amongst his achievements throughout a decade at Tesla, Mardall led the event of a Mannequin Y Warmth Pump system, which was praised by CEO Elon Musk on Twitter, and led Tesla’s efforts to engineer a ventilator for Covid sufferers that could possibly be produced utilizing automotive elements. (It by no means produced the ventilators.)

Earlier than he was concerned in engineering Tesla’s newest crossover SUV, the Mannequin Y, Mardall additionally developed thermal and HVAC applied sciences which turned defining options within the firm’s earlier Mannequin X and Mannequin 3 automobiles. His identify is on a number of Tesla patents.

In response to Forge, a secondary market, Zipline in at present elevating a Sequence E spherical of funding with shares priced round $32.63, indicating a valuation north of $2 billion.

Mardall wrote in a public post on LinkedIn:

“After 10 fantastic years at Tesla, I am tremendous excited to start out my subsequent chapter as Head of Engineering at Zipline, working with a crew of gifted and dedicated engineers to offer each human on Earth with immediate entry to important medical provides. The subsequent 5 years are going to alter every little thing and I am unable to wait! We’re hiring for all roles throughout engineering and I’d love to listen to from you – come fly with me!”

Mardall didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark from CNBC.

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