Emad Dlala out

[socktucker]

100%. I suck at business so that is all handled by my partner. He has no clue about the technology that I implement. But why would we ever switch roles?

Surely Lucid could have found a way to keep Peter, Eric, Emad and get some good business brains on everything else.

I’m good at business and if I was changing my mission from “developing car company” to “selling assets to recover investments and moving on” I would let Emad go.

Emad was the customer focused, software fixing future of the company. When the company had that vision, he fit.

Doing it 24 hours after launching what is probably the final version of Gravity software is pretty damn cold tho.

 

[dbsb3233]

The more Lucid starts to feel like any other car company, the more I lose interest in its products and its fate.

I get that, but at the same time, being a car company is what pays the bills, and they have to get way better at that part in order to survive. Some of the engineering is amazing (although some is also head-scratching), and paired with a good car company could make them fantastic. But they're struggling mightily on the 1st prerequisite: being a good car company.

Sounds like Emad was one of the good ones, and maybe the rest of the management team just wasn't up to task. I dunno but the last 18 months has been a disaster for Lucid from a business perspective. They're continually missing their production targets, and their financial targets. Software has been a mess at times, service isn't much better. I know stock price has more to it than just a measure of the company's success, but it's a lot of that too. It's down 85% just since the start of 2025 (long past the collapse of the early Tesla-like hysteria period). They gotta figure out how to get revenues flowing, and that means getting way better at the car company part.

 

[Britishlion]

Well this ruined my day

 

[HC_79]

I'm actually lost for words over this. Shocked and disappointed is an understatement.

 

[hmp10]

I dunno but the last 18 months has been a disaster for Lucid from a business perspective.

True. But I still think that comes down to the decision to release the Gravity before it was ready. And we still don't know who made that decision.

The contrast between the eager anticipation of the Gravity from the likes of Kyle Conner, Jason Cammisa, the Throttle House boys, et al., and the pffft-ing of air going out of the balloon after its release with all the software issues was as stark as anything I've ever seen with a new model launch.

Lucid had a two-pronged reputation after the Air launch: a tour-de-force piece of automotive engineering plagued by massively dysfunctional UI software, most accentuated by widespread difficulties with unlocking and starting the car.

Unfortunately, by releasing the Gravity with its software in the state it was, Lucid built on the second prong of its reputation instead of the first, right down to the entry/starting issues.

 

[FeelLicks]

When fixing the business side of things you don't let go your greatest assets - especially on the technical side and when it's your greatest moat. Very disappointing.

 

[The_Don]

Yeah I hate to be that guy but this is making me not want to get a Gravity when my Air lease is up in January

 

[romeodunn]

I put a deposit on a 2022 Lucid Air Gran Touring this week and I was (and remain) hopeful for the future but this is not the best news. I really really want to Lucid to succeed and I hope they do. Is Silvio Napoli the man that can make this happen?

 

[dbsb3233]

True. But I still think that comes down to the decision to release the Gravity before it was ready. And we still don't know who made that decision.

The contrast between the eager anticipation of the Gravity from the likes of Kyle Conner, Jason Cammisa, the Throttle House boys, et al., and the pffft-ing of air going out of the balloon after its release with all the software issues was as stark as anything I've ever seen with a new model launch.

Lucid had a two-pronged reputation after the Air launch: a tour-de-force piece of automotive engineering plagued by massively dysfunctional UI software, most accentuated by widespread difficulties with unlocking and starting the car.

Unfortunately, by releasing the Gravity with its software in the state it was, Lucid built on the second prong of its reputation instead of the first, right down to the entry/starting issues.

Yep, I couldn't agree more.

Which also has me worried about the Cosmos/Earth rollout, that's bound to save or sink the company from a revenue perspective. They didn't learn their lesson from the Air for the Gravity. How much faith do we have they'll learn it this time? What's the old saying... "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me".

Of course, they know all this way better than we do. The problem is being able to execute it. And that's where management matters. Crucial decisions to be made, and they better be better than the last time. People can write off bad execution for your 1st model. Not as much from your 2nd, years later. But especially not from your 3rd.

 

[socktucker]

When fixing the business side of things you don't let go your greatest assets - especially on the technical side and when it's your greatest moat. Very disappointing.

You get rid of that asset if you’re done with that goal.

 

[martinjlm]

I’m good at business and if I was changing my mission from “developing car company” to “selling assets to recover investments and moving on” I would let Emad go.

Emad was the customer focused, software fixing future of the company. When the company had that vision, he fit.

Doing it 24 hours after launching what is probably the final version of Gravity software is pretty damn cold tho.

Sounds to me like the decision was made a long time ago and probably linked to the disaster now known as "Gravity Launch". Timing of execution = after the launch is fixed.

I was at CES 2024 and went to Lucid's hospitality suite at one of the hotels on the strip. A colleague and I hung out with Eric Bach at the suite and he took us down to the street level and walked us through Gravity in detail. Seemed like a great guy and he was very passionate about Gravity and what they had accomplished. Also told me a lot about his time at "another EV startup" and how some of the decisions were made, including the location of the charge port. I chuckle every time someone on a Tesla site stomps their feet because XYZ EV has the charge port "in the wrong place" when the easy solution would have been for Tesla to center the charger in the space and lengthen the cord . But I digress...

My point is, the result (Emad's departure; same for Eric's) is likey less an indictment of the quality of their work or their passion for the company and product and more an issue of divergent strategic outlook. Doesn't make anybody feel better. Just demonstrates the ability to read an org chart.

 

[hmp10]

Yep, I couldn't agree more.

Which also has me worried about the Cosmos/Earth rollout, that's bound to save or sink the company from a revenue perspective. They didn't learn their lesson from the Air for the Gravity. How much faith do we have they'll learn it this time? What's the old saying... "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me".

Of course, they know all this way better than we do. The problem is being able to execute it. And that's where management matters. Crucial decisions to be made, and they better be better than the last time. People can write off bad execution for your 1st model. Not as much from your 2nd, years later. But especially not from your 3rd.

Dlala assured me that they thoroughly grasped the risks and the stakes of launching the Cosmos prematurely.

The possibility has crossed my mind today that his departure might have something to do with disagreement over when to release the Cosmos, especially if the same entity that made the decision on the Gravity is still pulling the strings.

 

[socktucker]

Dlala assured me that they thoroughly grasped the risks and the stakes of launching the Cosmos prematurely.

The possibility has crossed my mind today that his departure might have something to do with disagreement over when to release the Cosmos, especially if the same entity that made the decision on the Gravity is still pulling the strings.

Fisker Ocean 2

 

[tmichael]

I get that, but at the same time, being a car company is what pays the bills, and they have to get way better at that part in order to survive. Some of the engineering is amazing (although some is also head-scratching), and paired with a good car company could make them fantastic. But they're struggling mightily on the 1st prerequisite: being a good car company.

Sounds like Emad was one of the good ones, and maybe the rest of the management team just wasn't up to task. I dunno but the last 18 months has been a disaster for Lucid from a business perspective. They're continually missing their production targets, and their financial targets. Software has been a mess at times, service isn't much better. I know stock price has more to it than just a measure of the company's success, but it's a lot of that too. It's down 85% just since the start of 2025 (long past the collapse of the early Tesla-like hysteria period). They gotta figure out how to get revenues flowing, and that means getting way better at the car company part.

...and, if Lucid was being wound down, they would have brought Alix Partners in, not a guy who built up a quality manufacturing and service organization. Why bring in a builder to dismantle something?

Napoli is building his own organization - that was probably an important part of his vision. Rawlinson, Bach, Diala all built up a fantastic engineering organization - now that the product has been designed and built, the organization has to step in to the next phase - out of development and into execution.

Feel free to quote me in a year! . Or, rub it in my face!

 

[nashvillelucid]

Maybe. But what kind of change in direction for a car company would mean losing one of your top technical talents?

I both love my Lucid and I love speculating… so I’m glad you asked.

I could easily see Lucid pivoting to a self driving division of Uber. It would solve the need for so many local service locations. Uber would be happy to ship units needing servicing to a central location, no angry customers waiting. Uber also needs to be in the self driving fight. I could also see Lucid pivoting to focus just on the Uber market.

I could see Lucid getting rid of the Air. Costs too much to modernize for a vehicle that is niche at best. And the US market is clearly an SUV/crossover market. Maybe that’s too blasphemous for some folks?

Lucid might be prepping to be sold to a player already in this space. Lucid taking over the Genesis Electric market for Hyundai doesn’t seem outlandish to me.

Each or all of them or somethings else a banker dreamed up. I’ve loved Emad’s content and openness. And I speculate that his departure says that more change is coming. The idea that they are just going to allow it to die in light of Uber’s reinvestment just doesn’t pass the smell test for me. They ordered over 50% the number of vehicles that Lucid has ever historically shipped. It doesn’t take a genius to see that opportunity is a bigger and easier than retail.

 

[tarator]

That's bad news. My guess is that the new CEO is a) a bean counter; or b) a janitor, put there to clean up the house so it can be sold.

And I don't know which one is worse, but I'd go with a).

 

[socktucker]

...and, if Lucid was being wound down, they would have brought Alix Partners in, not a guy who built up a quality manufacturing and service organization. Why bring in a builder to dismantle something?

Napoli is building his own organization - that was probably an important part of his vision. Rawlinson, Bach, Diala all built up a fantastic engineering organization - now that the product has been designed and built, the organization has to step in to the next phase - out of development and into execution.

Feel free to quote me in a year! . Or, rub it in my face!

Or Napoli is a retired CEO in his 60s who signed on to make a quick couple million cleaning house.

 

[socktucker]

Have they replaced their head of marketing that quit?

 

[dgib85]

Just my two cents...

Half of the messages are telling me that most people here think they know how to run the business better than the management running the business.

The house needed cleaning and the new CEO is doing exactly that.

Business is tough, things happen, CEO was literally hired a couple of months ago.

Happy Overreaction Wednesday!

 

[The_Don]

Have they replaced their head of marketing that quit?

Lucid actually has a pretty legit marketing guy in place (Akerho Oghoghomeh). Has been with Lucid since last year.

I know they get dunked on for marketing but I actually think their ads are pretty good. They could use more ad placement but there are probably budget constraints.

See LinkedIn profile for reference:

Akerho Oghoghomeh - Lucid Motors | LinkedIn

I’m a growth-obsessed marketer passionate about turning ambitious ideas into measurable… · Experience: Lucid Motors · Education: Emory University - Goizueta Business School · Location: Los Angeles · 500+ connections on LinkedIn. View Akerho Oghoghomeh’s profile on LinkedIn, a professional...

www.linkedin.com