Hyperloop One, the company working to build a futuristic high-speed transport system, has shuffled its executive lineup, removing co-founder Brogan BamBrogan as its chief technology officer.
A company spokesman declined to comment on the change, only noting that BamBrogan has “decided to take a step back from Hyperloop One” and that “we appreciate everything that he has done to put us on the path to creating the world’s first Hyperloop.”
BamBrogan’s departure was first reported by tech news site Recode.
Josh Giegel has been promoted to the CTO role and appointed to its board of directors. He’s also been given the title of co-founder. Giegel had been senior vice president of engineering since Hyperloop One’s inception. Prior to joining Hyperloop One in November 2014, he worked at space cargo startup SpaceX, space tourism firm Virgin Galactic, and Echogen Power Systems.
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BamBrogan and Shervin Pishevar, now executive chairman of the company, co-founded Hyperloop One. BamBrogan was on hand in May at the company’s first open-air test of its propulsion system in North Las Vegas, Nev. But BamBrogan has had a less public role since former Cisco president Rob Lloyd was named CEO, a position he once held.
BamBrogan’s departure follows the replacement of Afshin Pishevar—brother of Shervin Pishevar— as general legal counsel by Marvin Ammori.
Hyperloop One, based in Los Angeles, is just one of several companies trying to build the transportation system that, theoretically, will send people and cargo through depressurized tubes at speeds of up to 760 mph. The idea for hyperloop was first popularized in 2013 by Tesla Motors and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, who challenged others to pursue and potentially develop the concept. Hyperloop One and competitor Hyperloop Transportation Technologies were among the first to jump at the idea.
There’s been steady activity from Hyperloop One in recent months. The company, along with Summa Group—the industrial port logistics, engineering, and oil and gas conglomerate owned by Russian oligarch Ziyavudin Magomedov—announced they have signed an agreement with city of Moscow to explore building high-capacity passenger systems connected to the Russian city’s transport system.