Wayve Strengthens Engineering Leadership to Advance Next-Generation Autonomous Driving Tech
Wayve, a trailblazer in Embodied AI and autonomous driving technology, has announced the appointment of three seasoned engineering leaders—Rob Flenniken, Uri Wolfovitz, and Dennis Jackson—to senior technical roles. These new hires bring decades of combined experience across autonomous systems, AI platforms, embedded software, and large-scale engineering programs. Their addition strengthens Wayve’s ability to deliver next-generation assisted and automated driving solutions globally, reinforcing its position at the forefront of the industry.
As Wayve moves closer to commercializing its unique Embodied AI approach, the company is building a world-class engineering organization equipped to scale its cutting-edge technologies. With a mission to transform how vehicles understand and navigate the world through machine learning, Wayve’s latest appointments underscore its commitment to assembling top-tier talent capable of solving the complex challenges inherent in autonomous mobility.
Rob Flenniken: Vice President of Vehicle Software
Rob Flenniken joins Wayve as Vice President of Vehicle Software, where he will lead the development of a stable, scalable vehicle software platform. His role is pivotal in enabling rapid iteration and integration of AI models within diverse automotive hardware and software environments. Rob’s mandate includes ensuring robust system performance across edge computing platforms, improving the vehicle-AI interface, and advancing the reliability and scalability of Wayve’s core driving technologies.
Rob brings over 20 years of experience spanning biomedical engineering, consumer electronics, mobile computing, and autonomous vehicles. His career reflects a strong foundation in software architecture, systems engineering, and cross-functional leadership. Most recently, Rob spent three years at Cruise, General Motors’ self-driving subsidiary, where he played an instrumental role in the development and deployment of the Chevy Bolt-based autonomous taxi fleet. At Cruise, he also contributed to the design and scaling of second- and third-generation autonomous vehicle platforms, providing him with deep insight into the challenges of bringing AV technology from prototype to production at scale.
Earlier in his career, Rob held technical leadership positions in the mobile and consumer tech sectors, where he honed skills in developing high-performance software systems under strict regulatory, safety, and user experience requirements. His multifaceted background equips him with a nuanced perspective on building software that performs reliably in complex, real-world operating environments—a core need for autonomous driving systems.
Uri Wolfovitz: Director of Production Software and Optimisation
Also joining the executive engineering team is Uri Wolfovitz, who assumes the role of Director of Production Software and Optimisation. Uri will lead the development and refinement of Wayve’s middle ground reference platforms, which serve as crucial infrastructure for training, validating, and deploying AI models across production-level systems. His work will focus on optimizing system performance, improving development pipelines, and ensuring smooth integration between the AI stack and automotive-grade platforms.
Uri’s background includes over 17 years of innovation in AI, computer vision, and autonomous technology. Prior to joining Wayve, he served as Vice President of Performance Optimisation and Optical Path at Mobileye, one of the world’s leading developers of advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) and autonomous driving solutions. At Mobileye, Uri helped architect high-performance embedded software solutions and advanced vision processing capabilities for real-world deployment in millions of vehicles.
In addition to his corporate experience, Uri has a strong entrepreneurial streak. He co-founded DeepBlock, an AI-powered tool designed to assist real estate developers by analyzing zoning, planning, and spatial data. His previous roles also include serving as Chief Operating Officer and Vice President of R&D at Sight Diagnostic, a medtech startup specializing in blood analysis using AI-powered imaging.
Uri’s blend of hands-on engineering leadership and startup agility brings an invaluable edge to Wayve’s growth trajectory. His work will help ensure that Wayve’s software stack is not only intelligent but also optimized for performance, scalability, and safety—critical factors in real-world deployment.
Dennis Jackson: Director of Engineering, Development Fleet Software
Rounding out the trio of new hires is Dennis Jackson, who joins Wayve as Director of Engineering for Development Fleet Software. In this role, Dennis will oversee the development, testing, and deployment of the embedded software systems that power Wayve’s fleet of autonomous test vehicles. His responsibilities will include managing user interface software used for prototyping and data collection, as well as enhancing the operational reliability and robustness of Wayve’s prototype systems.
Dennis brings a rich 25-year career spanning medical devices, drone technology, and autonomous vehicles. His most recent role was at Cruise, where he led the development and validation of embedded software across multiple generations of autonomous vehicles. His expertise in systems validation, safety-critical software, and hardware-software integration is particularly valuable for a company like Wayve, which is committed to rigorous testing and continuous performance improvement across its development platforms.
Throughout his career, Dennis has demonstrated a unique ability to bridge engineering disciplines, connecting low-level embedded systems with high-level user applications. His experience will be key as Wayve continues to iterate its AI software in real-world driving conditions and expands its development fleet to new markets.
Strengthening Wayve’s Engineering DNA
These new appointments reflect Wayve’s strategic focus on building a best-in-class engineering organization capable of delivering robust and scalable AI-driven mobility solutions. Each of the new leaders brings a complementary set of skills that will be vital as the company transitions from research and prototype development to productization and global deployment.
Wayve’s Embodied AI platform sets it apart from traditional rule-based AV stacks by training AI models that can learn and adapt from experience, much like human drivers. This approach requires a seamless fusion of hardware and software, scalable data pipelines, real-time decision-making frameworks, and tightly integrated vehicle platforms—all areas where the new leaders bring substantial expertise.
As Wayve’s technology continues to mature, the company’s ability to attract talent with deep domain expertise in autonomous driving, embedded systems, and high-performance AI will be crucial. These hires not only bolster the technical leadership team but also signal Wayve’s growing influence in the global AV landscape.