Robert Joseph "RJ" Scaringe (born January 19, 1983) is an American entrepreneur and engineer, and the founder and

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especiall ...

electric vehicle An electric vehicle (EV) is a vehicle that uses one or more electric motors for propulsion. It can be powered by a collector system, with electricity from extravehicular sources, or it can be powered autonomously by a battery (sometimes c ...

manufacturer

Rivian Rivian Automotive, Inc. is an American electric vehicle manufacturer and automotive technology company founded in 2009. Rivian is building an electric sport utility vehicle (SUV) and pickup truck on a "skateboard" platform that can support fut ...

Early life and education

Robert Joseph Scaringe was born on January 19, 1983. His father, also named Robert Scaringe, is an engineer and founder of Mainstream Engineering Corporation. Scaringe grew up a car enthusiast, restoring them in his neighbor's garage. After learning of the great negative environmental effects of cars, however, he decided to focus his life on creating a more

sustainable Specific definitions of sustainability are difficult to agree on and have varied in the literature and over time. The concept of sustainability can be used to guide decisions at the global, national, and individual levels (e.g. sustainable livin ...

and environmentally friendly transportation system. Scaringe grew up in

Melbourne, Florida Melbourne is a city in Brevard County, Florida, United States. It is located southeast of Orlando. As of th2020 Decennial Census there was a population of 84,678. The municipality is the second-largest in the county by both size and population ...

. He attended

Melbourne Central Catholic High School Melbourne Central Catholic (MCC) is an American private, Roman Catholic, coed college-preparatory school high school located in Melbourne, in Brevard County, Florida. It was a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence in 1991. Campus 44 acre campus include ...

. Scaringe received his bachelor's degree in

mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, ...

from

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute () (RPI) is a private research university in Troy, New York, with an additional campus in Hartford, Connecticut. A third campus in Groton, Connecticut closed in 2018. RPI was established in 1824 by Stephen Va ...

. He then received a master's degree in mechanical engineering at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern t ...

(MIT) and went on to also receive a doctorate in mechanical engineering at MIT's Sloan Automotive Lab.

Personal life

Scaringe married Meagan McGone in

Michigan Michigan () is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the List of U.S. states and ...

in August 2014. The couple has three children together. According to ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also r ...

'', Scaringe's net worth was estimated at $3.4 billion as of April 2021, but he lost his billionaire status in March 2022 due to Rivian's declining share value.

Career

Scaringe returned to

Rockledge, Florida Rockledge is the oldest city in Brevard County, Florida. The city's population was 24,926 at the 2010 United States Census, and is part of the Palm Bay−Melbourne− Titusville Metropolitan Statistical Area. History Rockledge was officiall ...

, and founded Mainstream Motors in the year of 2009 as the sole employee. The name of the company changed to

Rivian Automotive Rivian Automotive, Inc. is an American electric vehicle manufacturer and automotive technology company founded in 2009. Rivian is building an electric sport utility vehicle (SUV) and pickup truck on a "skateboard" platform that can support fut ...

in 2011. In November 2021, Rivian went public, listing its shares on the

Nasdaq The Nasdaq Stock Market () (National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations Stock Market) is an American stock exchange based in New York City. It is the most active stock trading venue in the US by volume, and ranked second ...

. Scaringe is chairman of the

board Board or Boards may refer to: Flat surface * Lumber, or other rigid material, milled or sawn flat ** Plank (wood) ** Cutting board ** Sounding board, of a musical instrument * Cardboard (paper product) * Paperboard * Fiberboard ** Hardboa ...

and has 9.5% voting power. Additionally, he has veto power over board decisions due to his 100% ownership of the company's

class B shares In finance, a Class B share or Class C share is a designation for a share class of a common or preferred stock that typically has strengthened voting rights or other benefits compared to a Class A share that may have been created. The equity st ...

. In total, Scaringe owns about 1.4% of Rivian.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Scaringe, Robert Former billionaires American business executives Electric vehicle industry Living people 1983 births Massachusetts Institute of Technology alumni Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumni American company founders