Maven Boss Out at GM, Reports Claim

Julia Steyn, head of General Motors’ Maven mobility brand, is reportedly leaving the company. Stayn joined GM in 2012, starting out as the automaker’s vice president of corporate development and global mergers and acquisitions, then switching to the company’s urban mobility unit and Maven three years ago.

Maven, if you’re not aware, is a GM-owned car-sharing service that underwent an expansion last year, allowing owners of newer GM cars to rent out their vehicles to eligible users. The mobility experiment will have to continue with someone else at the helm.

Automotive News reported on Steyn’s departure Tuesday morning, saying she vacated the position effective last Thursday. The outlet, citing a source, says the 43-year-old executive was not dropped as part of the company’s ongoing cost-cutting efforts.

Part of those efforts include a 15 percent reduction in salaried employees and an even steeper cull of executives.

A source who spoke to The Detroit News echoes AN’s claim, saying Steyn is working on a “mutual agreement” with the automaker to step down. GM employees were told of the departure last Thursday, the source added. A successor will come from within GM ranks.

Since its creation in early 2016, the app-based Maven service expanded in scope as GM sought out new ways to generate revenue for the automaker — first, from existing GM-owned vehicles, then from vehicles already sold to enterprising (or desperate) owners. Peer-to-peer renting started up last year in three test markets, ultimately expanding into seven U.S. cities.

Maven Gig allows those without a car to use a Maven vehicle to generate personal income via ridesharing or delivery services.

[Image: General Motors]