Daniela Rus
Director at SYM
Board
About Daniela Rus
Daniela Rus (61) is an independent director of Symbotic Inc., serving since March 2023. She is the Andrew and Erna Viterbi Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT, Director of MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) since 2012, and former Deputy Dean of Research for MIT’s Schwarzman College of Computing (2019–2022), with internationally recognized expertise in robotics and artificial intelligence .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Committees/Impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| MIT CSAIL | Director | 2012–present | Leads AI/robotics research at scale |
| MIT EECS | Andrew & Erna Viterbi Professor | 2004–present | Senior faculty leadership |
| MIT Schwarzman College of Computing | Deputy Dean of Research | 2019–2022 | Drove research strategy |
| MIT–US Air Force AI Accelerator | MIT Director | 2019–present | Defense-focused AI collaboration |
| Dartmouth College | Professor, Computer Science | 1994–2003 | Academic leadership in robotics |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Tenure | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mohamed bin Zayed University of AI | Board of Trustees | n/d | Governance in AI education |
| MassRobotics | Board of Directors | n/d | Industry cluster leadership |
| MITRE | Senior Visiting Fellow | n/d | National security technology advisory |
| Global Partnership on AI (USA) | Expert | n/d | International AI policy forum |
| President’s Council of Advisors on Science & Technology | Member | n/d | Federal science advisory |
| Defense Innovation Board | Member | n/d | DoD innovation advisory |
Board Governance
- Independence: The board determined all directors except the CEO (Richard Cohen) are independent, including Daniela Rus .
- Committee assignments: Member, Compensation Committee; appointed November 2024. Compensation Committee met four times in FY2024; chaired by Todd Krasnow; other members Merline Saintil and Rus .
- Attendance: In FY2024, each director attended at least 75% of board and applicable committee meetings; the full board met ten times .
- Chair roles: Rus does not chair a standing board committee. She receives additional compensation for chairing Symbotic’s Technology Advisory Board ($10,000) .
- Governance environment signals: CEO also serves as Board Chair and no Lead Independent Director is designated . Walmart retains a non‑voting board observer right and has confidential recommendation rights for a board nominee, subject to independence criteria . The company has board observer agreements with CEO’s family members (non‑voting) that can be terminated at any time .
Fixed Compensation
| Component | FY2024 | FY2025 Program | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Board cash retainer (Member) | $50,000 | $50,000 | Paid quarterly in arrears |
| Committee membership fees (Comp Committee) | Not disclosed as paid for Rus in FY2024 (total cash shown $50,000) | $7,500 (member); $20,000 (chair) | Program rates; Rus is a member, not chair |
| Annual director RSU grant (time‑based) | $175,000 grant-date fair value | $265,000 grant-date fair value | Vests by next annual meeting/1 year/change in control |
| Technology Advisory Board chair stipend | $10,000 | n/d | Listed as “All Other Compensation” |
Detail of FY2024 RSU grants to Rus:
- March 1, 2024: 4,060 RSUs; vest on earlier of March 1, 2025, the Annual Meeting, or change in control .
- March 1, 2023 (initial appointment): 20,895 RSUs; vest one-third on each of March 1, 2024, March 1, 2025, and March 1, 2026, subject to service .
FY2024 totals for Rus: Fees earned in cash $50,000; Stock awards $166,176; All other compensation $10,000; Total $226,176 .
Performance Compensation
- No performance-based equity (PSUs) or cash incentive metrics are disclosed for non‑employee directors at Symbotic; annual director equity is time‑based RSUs .
- Hedging/pledging of company stock is prohibited for directors under the Insider Trading Policy .
Other Directorships & Interlocks
| Category | Entity | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Public company boards | None disclosed | — | No other public boards listed for Rus . |
| Non‑profit/academic | MBZUAI | Board of Trustees | AI education governance |
| Non‑profit/industry | MassRobotics | Director | Robotics ecosystem |
| Government advisory | PCAST; Defense Innovation Board | Member | Federal/DoD advisory |
| Government/NGO | Global Partnership on AI | USA Expert | International AI policy |
| Government/FFRDC | MITRE | Senior Visiting Fellow | National security technology |
No related‑party transactions disclosed involving Rus; principal related‑party items concern C&S Wholesale Grocers (CEO’s affiliated company), Walmart agreements/rights, and GreenBox JV (SoftBank), none attributed to Rus personally .
Expertise & Qualifications
- Field‑leading AI/robotics researcher; MacArthur Fellow; Fellow of ACM, AAAI, IEEE, American Academy of Arts & Sciences; member of National Academy of Engineering .
- Executive/strategic experience running major research organizations (MIT CSAIL, MIT AI Accelerator) and advising national security and federal science bodies .
Equity Ownership
| Metric | As of/Period | Amount | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beneficial ownership (Class A) | January 6, 2025 | 28,465 shares | <1% of class; consists of 17,441 held directly and 11,024 issuable within 60 days |
| Unvested RSUs outstanding | September 28, 2024 | 17,991 RSUs | Outstanding equity awards count shown for directors |
| Annual RSU grant (2024) | March 1, 2024 | 4,060 units | Vests by next annual meeting/1 year/change in control |
| Initial RSU grant (2023) | March 1, 2023 | 20,895 units | 3‑year, equal annual tranches |
| Hedging/pledging policy | Current | Prohibited | Applies to directors |
Section 16(a) compliance: One report for Daniela Rus was not filed within the required period during FY2024, per company disclosure .
Governance Assessment
- Strengths: Independent status; deep AI/robotics expertise aligned with Symbotic’s core technology; active service on the Compensation Committee since November 2024; consistent attendance thresholds met (≥75%) . Equity grants and cash retainer align director incentives to shareholder value without performance risk inflation; hedging/pledging prohibitions support alignment .
- Watch items: Combined CEO/Chair with no Lead Independent Director may constrain independent oversight . Walmart’s observer and recommendation rights could influence board composition and create perceived interlocks, though Rus’s role remains independent . Minor Section 16(a) filing delinquency noted (one late report) for Rus . Family board observers of the CEO present perception risk, albeit non‑voting and terminable at will .
- Net view: Rus reinforces board technical depth and compensation oversight. Governance risks relate to overall board structure and strategic partner rights rather than individual conflicts tied to Rus; continued transparent disclosure and committee effectiveness should support investor confidence .