MIT Leaders for Global Operations announces new industry partnership with Rivian

Cambridge, Mass., February 22, 2021—The MIT Leaders for Global Operations (LGO) program announced today that Rivian—an independent, American electric vehicle maker and automotive technology company that develops vehicles, products and services related to sustainable transportation—has become the newest member of its industry partnerships. This addition brings the partner company total to 26—18 of which are in the Fortune 500 or Global Fortune 500.

MIT LGO collaborates with the MIT Sloan School of Management and the MIT School of Engineering to deliver an interdisciplinary Engineering-MBA dual degree program. The two-year curriculum features internships at elite partner companies. MIT LGO students develop leadership skills for the pharmaceutical, manufacturing, geosciences, energy, high-tech, and global supply chain industries, among others.

Founded in 2009, Rivian develops electric vehicles, charging and energy solutions. Rivian vehicles are designed around its flexible skateboard platform and smart battery management system. The company has raised $8 billion since the start of 2019. That same year, Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) ordered 100,000 electric delivery vans from Rivian as part of its plan to convert its delivery fleet to 100% renewable energy by 2030. Based in California, Rivian has additional facilities in Michigan, Illinois, Canada, Arizona, and the United Kingdom, and employs more than 3,500 with plans to scale the team for vehicle production during 2021. Rivian’s founder and CEO is RJ Scaringe, an MIT alumnus who holds a Master of Science’07 and a PhD ’09 in Mechanical Engineering.

“Rivian’s goal of revolutionizing both transportation and the energy sector builds on the core LGO mission of combining excellence in engineering, management, and leadership,” said Thomas Roemer, Executive Director of the MIT LGO program. “Our students will bring a wealth of tools from the classroom as well as their professional experiences to their research fellowships at Rivian, and have already shown great excitement at being part of the company at this stage of its development. We look forward to working with Rivian to help make the United States the center once again of innovation in the automotive industry.”

Rivian will launch its MIT LGO internship program this summer with projects centered in strategic operations, manufacturing and sustainability. Four MIT LGO graduates recently accepted full-time positions with the company.

"The MIT LGO program is a perfect fit for Rivian as we transition from our focus on product development to maturing as a production vehicle operation,” said Rivian COO Rod Copes, an alumnus of MIT LGO ’93. “As we scale up our operations and commercial functions, we are building out critical capabilities in operations including our manufacturing, supply chain, capital expenditure, logistics, and IT, all areas where LGO students excel.”