Aicha Evans

Aichatou Sar Evans (born 1969),[1] known professionally as Aicha Evans, is the chief executive officer of self-driving car company Zoox. In June 2020, Evans led the acquisition of her company by Amazon for US$1.3 billion. Evans is the first African American female CEO of an autonomous vehicle technology company.

Aicha Evans
Born1969 (age 51–52)
Senegal
EducationThe George Washington University
OccupationCEO of Zoox

Early life and education

Evans was born in Senegal and spent her childhood in Paris.[2][3] After immigrating to the United States, she studied at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C.,[2] where she received a bachelor's degree in Computer Engineering in 1996.[4]

Career

Evans has held engineering management positions at companies including Rockwell Semiconductor, Conexant, and Skyworks Solutions.[4]

Evans joined Intel in 2006,[3] and spent 12 years with the firm, specializing in leading wireless engineering projects utilizing technologies like Bluetooth, Wireless LAN, XMM register, and 5G.[5] In 2013, Evans assumed leadership of a communications and devices division[3] with more than 7,000 employees. In 2017, Evans was promoted to Chief Strategy Officer.[2] In a Federal Trade Commission case against Qualcomm, Evans served as a witness alleging unfair business practices[6] and potential anti-trust violations.

In February 2019, Evans joined Zoox as its new CEO.[4][7] In doing so, she became the first African American female CEO of an autonomous vehicle technology company.[4][8][3] In June 2020, Evans led the acquisition of her company by Amazon for US$1.3 billion.[9][7] A Forbes analysis suggests that Evans' decision to pursue aggressive patent coverage in the mobility space led to Amazon's interest.[10] Evans will continue to manage the company as a stand-alone business post-acquisition.[11]

Volunteer and community work

Evans serves as a trustee for the Anita Borg Institute for Women & Technology.[5] She was a co-signatory of an open letter written by the Silicon Valley Leadership Group addressing racial intolerance of Chinese Americans in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.[12]

Honors and awards
  • 2019: Named to Business Insider's list of 100 People Transforming Business in the transportation category[13]
  • George Washington University Engineering Hall of Fame[14]

References
  1. blackentrepreneurprofile.com. "Aicha Evans". Black Entrepreneurs & Executives Profiles. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
  2. Waters, Richard (18 January 2019). "Emotional intelligence takes Aicha Evans to top of Silicon Valley". Financial Times. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  3. Higgins, Tim (14 January 2019). "Autonomous Vehicle Startup Zoox Names Intel Executive Aicha Evans as CEO". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  4. Ohnsman, Alan. "Robo-Taxi Startup Zoox Hires Intel Exec Aicha Evans As New CEO". Forbes. Retrieved 10 June 2020.
  5. "» Aicha Evans". www.balderton.com. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
  6. Shankland, Stephen. "Qualcomm rebates kicked Intel out of iPad Mini 2, but Qualcomm "gouging" meant Intel won in the end". CNET. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
  7. DiFeliciantonio, Chase (26 June 2020). "Bay Area self-driving startup Zoox bought by Amazon for reported $1.2 billion". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  8. by (2019-03-07). "Meet Intel Veteran Aicha Evans, New CEO Of Zoox". Moguldom. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
  9. Weise, Karen; Griffith, Erin (26 June 2020). "Amazon to Buy Zoox, in a Move Toward Self-Driving Cars". The New York Times. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
  10. Columbus, Louis. "Using Patent Analytics To See Why Amazon Bought Zoox". Forbes. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
  11. Reuters (2020-07-09). "Exclusive: Amazon Plans at Least $100 Million to Keep Zoox Talent After $1.3 Billion Deal". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-07-13.
  12. "Statement in Response to Recent Incidents and Rhetoric Targeting Asian Americans". Silicon Valley Leadership Group. 2020-03-20. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
  13. "INTRODUCING: The 10 people transforming how the world gets around". Business Insider. 15 April 2019. Retrieved 12 June 2020.
  14. "GW Engineering Hall of Fame: ECE Members | Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering | School of Engineering & Applied Science | The George Washington University". www.ece.seas.gwu.edu. Retrieved 2020-07-12.
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