A wider leadership shake-up is underway at Hyundai’s electric air taxi startup, Supernal. This development comes just a few weeks after the company paused work on its vehicle program and its CEO and CTO departed.
Supernal confirmed on Friday that its chief strategy officer, Jaeyong Song, and chief safety officer, Tracy Lamb, are no longer with the company. Lina Yang, the chief of staff to Supernal’s recently departed CEO Jaiwon Shin, has also left. Yang had previously served as Supernal’s Head of Intelligent Systems until April 2025.
In a statement, the startup said that as it transitions to new leadership, it is strategically reviewing its program’s progress and next steps to ensure alignment with its long-term goals. Supernal also stated that its owner, Hyundai Motor Group, remains strongly committed to its advanced air mobility business.
The departure of Jaeyong Song is particularly notable. He spent three years as the vice president of Hyundai’s advanced air mobility group before becoming Supernal’s chief strategy officer in 2023. Supernal was spun out of this group in 2021. Song has been employed by the larger Hyundai-Kia group since 2014. Tracy Lamb brings a long history as a commercial pilot and safety executive in the aerospace industry. Song did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and Lamb declined to comment.
It has been a challenging year for Supernal. The startup ended 2024 by abruptly winding down its new headquarters in Washington, D.C. Although Supernal achieved its first test flight in March, it laid off dozens of employees just a few months later. By early September, the startup began an executive shake-up and paused its air taxi program.
These changes are happening at a crucial moment for the nascent electric vertical takeoff and landing industry. Some companies are securing investment and forming new partnerships ahead of planned commercial launches, all while regulatory frameworks become more favorable in the United States. Meanwhile, other players in the industry are going out of business.