James Kuffner
Chief Technology Officer at SYM
Executive
About James Kuffner
James Kuffner, age 53, is Symbotic’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO), appointed effective January 1, 2025. He holds B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees from Stanford University and previously served as Toyota’s Chief Digital Officer and board member, CEO of Woven Planet, executive advisor and former CTO at Toyota Research Institute, and CEO of TRI–AD. Kuffner is a noted robotics leader credited with extensive publications and patents; Symbotic highlighted his role to accelerate software and simulation initiatives following his appointment . Company performance context: FY2024 revenue grew over 50% year-over-year to $1.79B with the first GAAP net income quarter achieved in Q4 FY2024; Adjusted EBITDA was $61.7M and Net Income for FY2024 was $(85)M .
Past Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toyota Motor Corporation | Senior Fellow in charge of Software Development Center | Oct 2023–Dec 2024 | Led software development; deep enterprise-scale software leadership |
| Toyota Motor Corporation | Chief Digital Officer and Board Member | Jun 2020–Jun 2023 | Drove digital transformation and strategic technology initiatives |
| Woven Planet Holdings, Inc. (Toyota subsidiary) | Co‑founder and CEO | Jan 2021–Sep 2023 | Built mobility innovation platform; scaled engineering and product delivery |
| Toyota Research Institute (TRI) | Executive Advisor; former CTO | Apr 2018–Mar 2023 (advisor); prior CTO (date not specified) | Advanced automated driving and AI research translation into products |
| Toyota Research Institute – Advanced Development (TRI‑AD) | CEO | Apr 2018–Jan 2021 | Stood up ADAS/autonomy development at production pace |
External Roles
| Organization | Role | Years | Strategic impact |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joby Aviation (public company) | Board Member | Jan 2021–Jun 2023 | Governance and tech oversight for eVTOL company |
Fixed Compensation
- Base salary and target bonus for Kuffner not disclosed in the proxy. Symbotic’s CEO receives no compensation; other NEO practices are described but do not list CTO‑specific cash comp .
Equity Awards (grants and vesting)
| Grant type | Grant date | Shares/Units | Vesting schedule | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSUs | Jan 23, 2025 | 575,048 | 1/3 on Jan 23, 2026; then 1/12 quarterly thereafter, subject to continued service | Reported on Form 4; beneficial ownership after grant shows 575,048 derivative RSUs |
Performance Compensation
- Company STIP framework (FY2024): metrics and weights were Adjusted EBITDA (50%), Net Revenue (30%), and Customer Experience (20%); FY2024 payouts funded at 51.5% of target based on results .
| Metric | Weight | FY2024 Target | FY2024 Actual | Payout determination |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adjusted EBITDA | 50% | $150M | $61.7M | 0% of target for this component |
| Net Revenue | 30% | $1,770M | $1,788M | 105.1% of target for this component |
| Customer Experience | 20% | Discretionary evaluation | 100% of target | 100% of target for this component |
| Plan payout | — | — | — | Overall 51.5% of target |
- PSU program (FY2024 cohort across executives): performance metrics include Revenue and Adjusted Free Cash Flow with 30% tied to FY2024 and 70% to FY2024–FY2026 cumulatives; FY2024 funding for PSU portion was 52.5% of target (Revenue at 101% of target; Adjusted FCF at 12% of target) . Note: Kuffner’s Form 4 reflects RSUs; no PSUs were reported in that filing .
Equity Ownership & Alignment
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Initial reporting | Form 3 filed Jan 8, 2025; CTO role disclosed |
| Beneficial holdings | 575,048 RSUs granted Jan 23, 2025; vesting schedule as above |
| Vested vs unvested | Unvested; first vesting tranche on Jan 23, 2026 (1/3), then 1/12 quarterly |
| Hedging/pledging | Prohibited for executives under Insider Trading Policy |
| Ownership guidelines | Not disclosed for Kuffner in proxy; general practices described but no CTO‑specific guideline data |
Employment Terms
| Topic | Company‑level policy (applies to executive equity) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Clawback policy | Effective Dec 1, 2023; recovery of excess incentive comp upon restatements; FY2024 interim restatement triggered review, committee concluded no erroneously awarded comp | |
| Change‑of‑control | “Double‑trigger” for equity: RSUs and PSUs vest in full upon termination without Cause or for Good Reason within one year post‑CoC; death/disability/retirement provisions allow pro‑rata PSU vesting and near‑term RSU vesting | |
| Insider trading policy | Prohibits short sales, derivative transactions, hedging, margin purchases, and pledging of stock | |
| Non‑compete/non‑solicit | Company uses non‑compete agreements for certain execs; CTO‑specific terms not disclosed in proxy | |
| Severance multiples | Not disclosed for CTO; examples provided for other executives in proxy |
Performance & Track Record
- Symbotic highlighted Kuffner’s immediate focus on software and simulation tools to speed feature deployment; the company added software assets via its OhmniLabs acquisition to bolster simulation capabilities .
- Strategic backdrop includes a Master Automation Agreement with Walmart for up to 600 APD systems and $520M in R&D fees over two years, with governance provisions (board observer and recommendation rights) tied to Walmart’s ownership level .
- SEC concluded its investigation (related to Rule 21F‑17 and FY2024 revenue restatement matters) with no enforcement recommendation as of Aug 7, 2025 .
Compensation Peer Group and Say‑on‑Pay
- 2024 Compensation Peer Group included ANSYS, Autodesk, Cadence, Palantir, PTC, Cloudflare, Samsara, Snowflake, CrowdStrike, Datadog, Dynatrace, The Trade Desk, Teradyne, and others in automation/software .
- Say‑on‑pay approved with 1,367,360,411 votes for; say‑on‑frequency selected “1 year” with 1,366,202,537 votes .
Insider Transactions and Vesting/Selling Pressure
- Form 3 (Jan 8, 2025) and Form 4 (Jan 27, 2025) filings disclose the initial RSU grant; no open‑market sales reported to date. RSU vesting begins Jan 23, 2026 with quarterly installments thereafter, which can create periodic liquidity events if shares are sold upon vesting .
Investment Implications
- Alignment and retention: A substantial RSU grant with a long vesting schedule (1/3 after year 1, then quarterly) indicates retention emphasis and alignment with long‑term software execution; hedging and pledging prohibitions strengthen alignment with shareholders .
- Near‑term supply dynamics: First vesting in Jan 2026 followed by regular quarterly vesting suggests potential, predictable insider selling windows subject to trading policies; no sales reported yet .
- Execution focus: Management commentary ties Kuffner to accelerating software and simulation capabilities—key to deployment scale and margin improvement—aligning with company PSU metrics around Revenue and Adjusted FCF; FY2024 PSU portion funded at 52.5% of target, underscoring cash‑flow rigor .
- Governance and risk: Strong shareholder support for say‑on‑pay, formal clawback policy, and resolution of SEC investigation without enforcement reduce governance overhang; Walmart’s contract and governance rights remain a strategic dependency risk to monitor .