The CEO of a flying car company backed by Larry Page has left the company.
Ken Karklin, who was CEO of Pivotal for more than four years, stepped down this week, according to a Press release. Pivotal said Karklin is “pursuing new endeavors” but did not offer any other information about the executive’s departure from the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) company.
“Leading Pivotal has been the privilege of my career. Together, we have gone beyond the promise of lightweight eVTOL and demonstrated it in practice,” Karklin said in a statement. “This industry has moved beyond prototypes and press releases; it is now operating in the real world, under real constraints, with real consequences for the future of advanced air mobility. As I dedicate myself to new endeavors, I do so knowing that the foundations we build here will help move this industry forward.”
Karklin will be replaced on an interim basis by Mike Ross, an aviation executive who joined Pivotal’s board of directors in November 2025. Karklin did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Karklin’s departure comes two years after Pivotal was founded helix salesits first light electric personal aircraft. The single-seat plane does not require a pilot’s license to fly and costs around $200,000.
“Ken’s leadership over the past four years has been instrumental in getting Pivotal to where it is today. Our team, our priorities and our roadmap remain strong during this transition,” Ross said in a statement. “I have had the honor of working closely with Ken as a Board member and observing Pivotal’s disciplined approach to safety, engineering and accessibility to realize the vision of electric VTOL flight. I look forward to working with the team and leading the company forward as we bring our fourth-generation Helix aircraft to market.”
Pivotal has also spent years developing an aircraft called BlackFly that is aimed at defense and first responder use cases. Last month, BlackFly was used to respond to an emergency in North Carolina for the first time. The company claims that it was 20 minutes ahead of an ambulance that arrived in parallel with the call. BlackFly has flown more than 10,000 times, according to Pivotal.
Pivotal is one of several companies in the space that was selected for the Federal Aviation Administration competition eVTOL Integration Pilot Programwhich was created to increase testing of this type of aircraft throughout the country.
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