Joby Aviation Ribbon Cutting at New Santa Cruz HQ

From Childhood Dreams to Industry Leader: Joby's New Santa Cruz HQ Opens, Symbolizing the Future of eVTOL Technology

Monday marked another key milestone for Joby as the company inaugurated its new office at the junction of Sylvania Avenue and Encinal Street, attracting an audience of over 100 local guests, dignitaries, media representatives, and investors. Hosted by the Santa Cruz County Chamber of Commerce, the event showcased a series of speeches, a ceremonial ribbon cutting, and a guided tour of what used to be Plantronics' office but is now the official headquarters of Joby. According to an internal estimate, Joby employs roughly 300 people in Santa Cruz. Heading the company is Santa Cruz native and CEO, JoeBen Bevirt, who was raised not too far away from Silicon Valley.

Bevirt, reflecting on his upbringing on Last Chance Road, a secluded mountain area northeast of Davenport, acknowledged the challenges of his daily commute to school in Santa Cruz. This involved taking a city bus along Highway 1 to Swanton Road, followed by a lengthy walk. He recounted, "It gave me a lot of time to think about how to get from Point A to Point B.” While some kids might have opted for a closer school or moved into town, Bevirt cherished living among the redwoods and dreamt of a noiseless, efficient air transport that could ease his commute.

His childhood dream has now come to fruition as Joby leads the pack in the eVTOL technology space - electric vertical takeoff and landing. The company is rigorously testing an all-electric air taxi, aiming to launch it by 2025.

During Monday's ribbon-cutting ceremony, Santa Cruz Mayor Fred Keeley highlighted Bevirt's deep-rooted connections with Santa Cruz, invoking the name of Bevirt’s father, Ron Bevirt. Known as "Hassler" in the 1960s and a part of the infamous counterculture group, the Merry Pranksters, Ron also co-founded Santa Cruz's first counterculture business, Hip Pocket Books (now known as Bookshop Santa Cruz), even before the establishment of UC Santa Cruz.