Last week in a piece about Faraday Future, I semi-jokingly suggested that they may not be able to hang on until CES 2017 where the company is expected to unveil its first consumer electric vehicle.
In the wake of events that have taken place in the seven days since, I'm essentially saying the same thing albeit with a much more serious tone.
Word broke on December 23 that two high-profile executives - Marco Mattiacci, who served as chief brand and commercial officer, and Joerg Sommer, vice president for product marketing and growth - parted ways with Faraday Future. Indeed, Mattiacci's LinkedIn page reflects the fact that he is no longer with the company and profiles for both have been removed from Faraday Future's website.
Now, we've learned courtesy of The Verge that Faraday Future has lost its "unofficial" CEO, Ding Lei.
The publication notes that although Lei was never officially part of Faraday Future's leadership team, he was present at the groundbreaking of Faraday Future's $1 billion factory and took the stage at CES 2016 when the company's concept car was unveiled.
Lei also happens to be a top executive with LeEco, a major financial partner of Faraday Future.
Nevertheless, Faraday Future continues to publish teaser videos of its consumer vehicle on YouTube as we inch closer to CES. According to the official CES schedule, Faraday Future will host its unveiling on Media Day 1 which takes place January 3 at the World Market Center Las Vegas. The event will be streamed live over the Internet on Faraday Future's website.