Slate Auto replaces CEO months before launching its affordable electric vehicle

Slate Auto, the electric vehicle startup backed by Jeff Bezos, has changed its chief executive just months before the planned launch of its affordable electric truck.

Peter Faricy, a former Amazon Marketplace vice president, has taken over as the company's new CEO and officially began in the role on Monday, Slate spokesperson Jeff Jablansky said. Before joining Slate, Faricy most recently served as an adviser at McKinsey and Bessemer Venture Partners. According to Newsweek, which first reported the appointment, he left his position at Bessemer to join the startup.

Slate Auto's original CEO, longtime Chrysler executive Christine Barman, has now moved into the role of President of Vehicles, according to Jablansky. Barman was the company's first hire, back when Slate was still operating as a secretive project known as Re: Car within the Massachusetts-based manufacturing incubator Re Build Manufacturing.

Barman drew attention not only because she was one of just two women serving as CEOs of U.S. automakers, but also because she had become the public face of Slate after the company emerged from stealth in April 2025. She appeared in many of the company's promotional videos over the past year, including one last month in which she hinted that Slate would finally disclose the price of its basic electric truck in June.

In her new position, Barman will focus on doing "everything we need" to get the truck delivered "on time and on budget," Jablansky said.

The company, which has raised around $700 million from Bezos and other wealthy investors, at one point promoted its electric truck as starting at "under $20,000" before Congress and the Trump administration eliminated the federal EV tax credit. It is now aiming for a starting price in the mid-$20,000 range. Buyers will also be able to personalise the vehicle in various ways, including converting it into an SUV for an additional cost.

Faricy is stepping into the CEO role at a key moment for Slate, as the company prepares to convert its list of refundable preorders into actual vehicle orders. According to Jablansky, that preorder list now includes about 160,000 people.

"Peter's experience building Amazon Marketplace was really critical for us," Jablansky said.

A CEO change this early in the company's life may come as a surprise, though it is less surprising that Slate chose a former Amazon executive. Bezos helped finance the startup, along with former Amazon executive Diego Piacentini. The head of Bezos' family office sits on Slate's board. One of Slate's co-founders is Jeff Wilke, the former CEO of Amazon Consumer. In addition, the leaders of Slate's mobility, UX/UI, e-commerce, fleet sales, and human resources teams all previously worked at Amazon.