Aptera Founder Takes a Permanent Vacation

Aptera Motors co-founder Steve Fambro has left the company.

We already knew this, having broken the story in November that Fambro and Chis Anthony had been ousted after a rift opened between them and the new management team led by CEO Paul Wilbur. Of course, the California EV company denied there was anything wrong. The founders hadn't been fired, they were "on vacation" and Fambro "will come back in the new year once we get the series ‘D' final round of funding closed and we can turn advanced concepts back on."

We checked with Aptera last week and confirmed that Fambro has not returned from vacation. He is no longer employed by Aptera, though he, like Anthony, remains a member of its board of directors. Spokesman Marques McCammon provided the following statement, complete with the requisite crocodile tears:

[Steve] is stepping away from his daily duties in the company and focusing his attention on his position on the Aptera Board of Directors. Steve Fambro is the foundation of our company, so we sorely miss the daily interaction. We take great confidence however, in the fact that as we continue our push into the market he is very active with us at the board level, and he continues to make himself available to support the team. His innovative spirit is ever present at Aptera.

Aptera announced this transition over the weekend in an email newsletter:

Our visionary leader Steve Fambro, who first conceived Aptera in his garage and, along with (co-founder) Chris Anthony, launched the company into public view, will leave the day to day operations as CTO and head of Advanced Concepts to rededicate his time and attention toward pushing new and breakthrough technology.

"With the team of tech innovators and automotive management that (co-founder) Chris Anthony and I have gathered, I'm confident Aptera is well-positioned to complete the job that lies ahead," said Fambro. "I have many other 'efficient' ideas that I would like to develop and I intend to refocus my time on bringing those ideas to life... All I can say now is stay tuned."

Fambro and Anthony will continue to guide the company direction from their positions as board members. "Steve is our founder," said Aptera CEO Paul Wilbur. "Without the vision that he and Chris had when they started Aptera, we would not be standing at the doorstep of automotive history. We value their continued support."

All startups have their share of turmoil, and EV startups seem particularly prone to internal drama. At such times management typically tries to massage the message to maintain an appearance of normality. Aptera's efforts to portray this management shakeup as a vacation were clumsy at best.

Photo: Jim Merithew / Wired.com