The leadership crisis at Hyundai's air taxi startup Supernal just got worse. Three more executives have departed the struggling electric vertical takeoff and landing company, including its chief strategy officer and chief safety officer, just weeks after the CEO and CTO left and the company paused its vehicle program entirely.
The bleeding hasn't stopped at Supernal. Hyundai's once-promising air taxi venture is hemorrhaging executive talent as the company confirmed Friday that three more senior leaders have departed, deepening a leadership crisis that began in early September.
Chief strategy officer Jaeyong Song and chief safety officer Tracy Lamb are no longer with the company, according to TechCrunch's exclusive reporting. Lina Yang, who served as chief of staff to recently departed CEO Jaiwon Shin, has also left. Yang previously held the role of Head of Intelligent Systems until April 2025, making her departure particularly significant given her deep institutional knowledge.
The startup's statement to TechCrunch attempts damage control: "As we transition to new leadership, we have taken the opportunity to strategically review our program's progress and next steps to ensure alignment with our long-term goals." But the corporate speak can't mask what's becoming clear - Supernal is in freefall.
Song's exit hits particularly hard. He spent three years as vice president of Hyundai's Advanced Air Mobility group before taking the chief strategy role at Supernal in 2023. The company was spun out of Hyundai's AAM division in 2021, and Song had been with the broader Hyundai-Kia organization since 2014. His departure signals that even longtime Hyundai veterans are jumping ship.
Lamb brings decades of aerospace and commercial aviation experience to the table, making her departure another blow to Supernal's already shaky safety credentials. Neither Song nor Lamb responded to requests for comment - a silence that speaks volumes in an industry where executives typically defend their companies publicly.
Hyundai Motor Group insists it "remains strongly committed to its AAM [Advanced Air Mobility] business," but actions tell a different story. The company's air taxi ambitions have been unraveling all year. Supernal abruptly shuttered its Washington D.C. headquarters in late 2024, as TechCrunch previously reported, relocating operations to California.
While the company managed its first test flight in March - a milestone that should have been celebrated - it laid off dozens of employees just months later. By September, the executive exodus began and Supernal paused its entire air taxi program.
The timing couldn't be worse for Supernal's remaining ambitions. The eVTOL industry is hitting an inflection point, with some players like Joby Aviation securing major partnerships and investment rounds while others collapse entirely. Regulatory frameworks in the U.S. are becoming increasingly favorable, creating a narrow window for companies to capitalize on first-mover advantages.
But Supernal appears to be moving in the opposite direction. While competitors prepare for commercial launches, Hyundai's air taxi bet is looking more like a cautionary tale about traditional automakers struggling to navigate the complexities of aerospace development and regulation.
The broader Advanced Air Mobility market is watching closely. If a company backed by Hyundai's resources can't make it work, it raises serious questions about which players have what it takes to survive the coming shakeout.
Supernal's executive exodus reflects deeper structural challenges facing traditional automakers trying to crack the air mobility code. While Hyundai talks about commitment, the pattern of departures, program pauses, and facility closures suggests a company in retreat. For an industry where trust and regulatory approval are everything, losing this much institutional knowledge and leadership continuity could prove fatal. The question now isn't whether Supernal can recover, but whether Hyundai will cut its losses before burning through more capital and credibility.
