The CEO of Pivotal, an electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) company backed by Larry Page, has departed the firm. Ken Karklin, who served as Pivotal’s CEO for over four years, left the role this week, citing a desire to pursue new endeavors, according to a press release. Pivotal did not provide additional details regarding Karklin’s departure. Karklin expressed pride in his leadership, stating that the company has transitioned from prototypes and press releases to real-world operations with significant implications for the future of Advanced Air Mobility.
Mike Ross, an aviation executive who joined Pivotal’s board of directors in November 2025, will assume the role of interim CEO. Ross praised Karklin’s leadership and emphasized the company’s commitment to safety, engineering, and accessibility. He also noted that the team, priorities, and roadmap remain steady despite the transition. Pivotal, selected for the FAA’s eVTOL Integration Pilot Program, has developed two aircraft: the single-seat Helix, which does not require a pilot’s license and starts at around $200,000, and the BlackFly, designed for defense and first-responder use cases, which recently responded to an emergency in North Carolina, arriving 20 minutes faster than a parallel ambulance response.