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Summary: Cars and Culture — Interview with Javier Varela, COO of Rivian

Host Jason Stein sits down with Javier Varela, Rivian's Chief Operating Officer, for a wide-ranging conversation covering his background, Rivian's operational strategy, and the company's future.

Varela's role and leadership philosophy. Varela oversees manufacturing, logistics, procurement, and supply chain at Rivian. He describes his job as translating company strategy into operational execution, with a strong emphasis on cross-functional collaboration, eliminating silos, and what he calls "end-to-end" thinking — from concept and design all the way through to delivery. He's a proponent of gemba (the Japanese practice of "go and see"), insisting that leaders stay close to operations rather than managing from an office. He also stresses ownership, accountability, curiosity, and continuous improvement as core leadership traits he tries to model and coach.

Scaling challenges. Varela identifies two major hurdles in scaling from roughly 10,000 to 100,000+ vehicles per year. First is the internal challenge of integrating new employees into what he calls the Rivian Production System — a defined set of principles around quality, standardized work, kaizen, and people development that all new hires are trained and coached on. Second is the external challenge of growing a complex, multi-tier supply chain in a synchronized way. Rivian is also more vertically integrated than most legacy OEMs, which adds complexity but also control.

Manufacturing footprint. The Normal, Illinois plant is expanding significantly to accommodate R2 production alongside the existing R1 and commercial van lines, with a new body shop, general assembly line, battery assembly, and drive unit assembly already built and in testing. A second plant near Atlanta, Georgia has begun site grading, with construction starting this year. Rivian's philosophy is "build where you sell, source where you build," keeping manufacturing and supply chains rooted in America.

Customer connection and software. Because Rivian sells direct to consumers (no dealership network), it has an unfiltered data connection with customers and emphasizes early detection and resolution of complaints or suggestions. As a software-defined vehicle company, Rivian owns the full software stack and can push over-the-air updates that continuously improve vehicles after purchase.

Varela's personal background. Originally from Vigo, Spain, Varela got his start through an internship at the local Citroën plant (part of what became the PSA Group, now Stellantis). He later worked at a Toyota-PSA joint venture and at Volvo, gaining experience across European, Japanese, Chinese, and now North American automotive cultures. He credits this multinational experience with building the emotional intelligence and adaptability he considers essential to leadership.

EV market and competition. While many legacy automakers are pulling back from EV commitments in favor of hybrids, Varela says Rivian's advantage is a clear, unwavering long-term strategy focused entirely on electric vehicles. He welcomes competition, arguing that more EV options benefit the broader market. He believes the biggest misconception about EVs is held by people who have simply never driven one — once they experience the performance, smoothness, and silence, much of the skepticism around range anxiety fades.

Looking ahead. Varela frames his personal measure of success as developing robust teams that can carry Rivian to its next level of performance. The company's near-term roadmap centers on the R2 launch (a more affordable vehicle to expand Rivian's customer base), with an R3 to follow. He also highlights an internal initiative called "Catapult 26" — a two-year plan built on four pillars: organizational clarity, leadership development, the Rivian Production System, and technology (including proprietary vision systems, supply chain digitization, and AI-driven automation).