Redwood Materials COO departs amid layoffs, restructuring
▼ Summary
– Redwood Materials COO Chris Lister is retiring; he joined the company in late 2023 after serving as a vice president at Tesla’s Nevada Gigafactory.
– The company recently laid off about 10% of its workforce, roughly 135 employees, as part of a restructuring to support its growing energy storage business.
– Several other executives have recently left Redwood, including vice presidents Bradley Mayhew, Guillermo Urquiza, and Carlos Lozano, all former Tesla employees.
– CEO JB Straubel told employees in an email that the restructuring aims to reduce management layers and that parts of the company expanded faster than needed.
– Redwood has signed new deals with Rivian and Crusoe to supply refurbished batteries for grid storage, and Straubel expressed confidence in delivering projects with a smaller, more focused team.
Redwood Materials is undergoing significant leadership changes, with chief operating officer Chris Lister departing the battery recycling company to retire. TechCrunch has learned that Lister is not the only high-ranking executive to leave recently, as the company also confirmed layoffs affecting approximately 10% of its workforce.
Lister, who previously served as a vice president overseeing operations at Tesla’s Nevada Gigafactory, joined Redwood in late 2023 as chief supply chain officer. He was promoted to COO in 2024, a move that placed him closer to founder and CEO JB Straubel on the organizational chart. Straubel, a former longtime Tesla chief technology officer who still serves on the automaker’s board, has been steering the company through a period of restructuring.
Redwood Materials notified employees of Lister’s retirement in an internal announcement, according to a source who spoke on condition of anonymity. The company confirmed his departure to TechCrunch on Thursday. “We wish him the best in his retirement,” a spokesperson said via email.
The news of Lister’s retirement follows TechCrunch’s earlier report that Redwood Materials had recently cut around 135 jobs, or roughly 10% of its workforce. Those layoffs were part of a broader restructuring that Straubel outlined in an email to employees, which TechCrunch viewed earlier this week. He explained that the changes would help support the company’s expanding energy storage business. Redwood has recently secured deals with automaker Rivian and artificial intelligence firm Crusoe to supply refurbished batteries for grid storage applications.
Several other executives have also exited the company in recent months. Bradley Mayhew, vice president of integrated supply chain and a former Tesla employee, left earlier this month, according to his LinkedIn profile. Guillermo Urquiza, vice president of mechanical engineering and another Tesla alum, departed in March. Carlos Lozano, vice president of manufacturing, left earlier this year to take a leadership role at Panasonic, as indicated on his LinkedIn.
Mayhew, Urquiza, and Lozano did not respond to requests for comment. Redwood declined to comment specifically on their departures but noted that Straubel’s all-staff email mentioned efforts to reduce management layers at the company.
In that same message, Straubel acknowledged that “parts of the company have expanded faster than needed.” He expressed confidence in the path ahead, writing, “We are more excited than ever with our path ahead as we build the most integrated and cost-effective critical materials and energy storage business in the world.” He added, “We are confident that we can deliver on our critical projects with a smaller team that is more focused. We have successfully adapted to changes in the market that have bankrupted many of our competitors.”
(Source: TechCrunch)
