Redwood Materials loses COO amid layoffs, restructuring

Redwood Materials COO Chris Lister, a former Tesla executive, is retiring amid a broader restructuring at the battery recycling startup. His departure follows a recent 10% workforce reduction of roughly 135 employees. At least three other VPs have also left in recent months — Bradley Mayhew (supply chain), Guillermo Urquiza (mechanical engineering), and Carlos Lozano (manufacturing). CEO JB Straubel has communicated to staff that the company is reducing management layers and refocusing on its growing energy storage business, having recently signed deals with Rivian and Crusoe for refurbished battery grid storage.