Larry Page’s flying car company Pivotal loses its CEO
The company told TechCrunch he is "pursuing new endeavors."
Ken Karklin, the CEO of Pivotal, the flying car company backed by Larry Page, has departed the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) firm. Karklin, who served as CEO for over four years, announced his departure via a press release. Pivotal stated that Karklin is "pursuing new endeavors," but did not provide additional details about the executive's exit.
Karklin expressed gratitude for his time leading the company, stating that "leading Pivotal has been the privilege of my career... Together, we’ve moved beyond the promise of light eVTOL and proved it out in practice." He noted that, as he moves on to other pursuits, the foundation built at Pivotal will aid in advancing the industry.
Interim CEO Mike Ross, an aviation executive, took over the role on an interim basis following Pivotal's board of director member Mike Ross's appointment in November 2025. Ross praised Karklin's leadership, highlighting Pivotal's focus on safety, engineering, and accessibility through the company's Helix and BlackFly aircraft. The Helix is a single-seat electric personal aircraft priced around $200,000, while BlackFly, a defense and first responder aircraft, has been used for emergency response in North Carolina for the first time last month, beating an ambulance to the scene by 20 minutes.
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