Kodiak AI Appoints Chet Gryczan to Lead Its Defense Vertical
Gryczan, Vice President and Managing Director of Defense, has spent 20 years as a leader at defense and automotive-tech organizations
MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Feb. 18, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kodiak AI, Inc. ("Kodiak") (Nasdaq: KDK), a leading provider of AI-powered autonomous vehicle technology, today announced the appointment of Chet Gryczan as Vice President and Managing Director of Defense, effective immediately. Gryczan brings more than two decades of experience building and leading defense and automotive programs.
Most recently, Gryczan served as President of Detroit Defense, an engineering and systems integration firm serving the U.S. Military and some of the largest American defense contractors. In this role, Gryczan scaled the business, formerly known as Ricardo Defense, from a pre-profit startup into a $157 million annual revenue enterprise. He also built and led a workforce of more than 230 employees across 30 U.S. and international sites.
During his tenure, Gryczan conceived and directed multi-hundred-million-dollar defense programs. Notably, he played a key role in securing a multi-year $500 million Congressional modernization program by forging partnerships with key stakeholders, including OEMs, Tier-1 suppliers, and government leaders, to align industry capabilities with Army priorities.
In his new role, Gryczan will lead Kodiak’s defense vertical, overseeing strategy, customer engagement, and program execution across defense programs. He will lead Kodiak’s continued expansion into the defense market, focusing on integrating the Kodiak Driver, the company's AI-powered autonomous driving system, into a wide range of vehicles for military use. His experience scaling defense organizations, aligning technology roadmaps with Pentagon priorities, and transitioning commercial technologies into mission-ready solutions enhances Kodiak’s work delivering autonomous capabilities for national security applications.
“Chet understands how to build a durable defense business, combining operational credibility and deep customer trust with financial discipline,” said Don Burnette, Founder and CEO of Kodiak. “He has deep experience bringing advanced technology to military programs and has done it at scale. Chet’s leadership strengthens our ability to execute for our defense customers while expanding our defense portfolio.”
Today, the Kodiak Driver is making deliveries day and night for Atlas Energy Solutions in the Permian Basin of West Texas and eastern New Mexico, without a driver in the cab. Kodiak has applied this expertise in commercial autonomous trucking to establish itself as a trusted dual-use autonomy partner for the U.S. military. In 2022, Kodiak was selected for a contract with the U.S. Army to deliver an end-to-end autonomous solution for the Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) program, under which it received approximately $30 million. Most recently, the U.S. Marine Corps awarded Kodiak a contract to integrate its autonomous driving technology into the Remotely Operated Ground Unit for Expeditionary Fires (ROGUE-Fires) carrier ground vehicle. These contracts demonstrate the Kodiak Driver’s adaptability for both commercial and defense applications.
“Kodiak has already demonstrated that its autonomous system can operate in demanding military environments and deliver measurable capability,” said Gryczan. “I joined Kodiak to help build on that foundation and scale our defense vertical and the company’s impact. This role brings together my career focus on adapting advanced commercial technologies for defense use with Kodiak’s proven autonomous platform and growing defense footprint.”
About Kodiak AI, Inc.
Kodiak AI was founded in 2018 and is a leading provider of AI-powered autonomous vehicle technology that is designed to help tackle some of the toughest driving jobs. Kodiak's driverless solution can help address the critical problem of safely transporting goods in the face of unprecedented supply chain challenges. Kodiak's vision is to become the trusted world leader in autonomous ground transportation. Kodiak is committed to a safer and more efficient future for all through the commercialization of driverless trucking at scale. To that end, Kodiak developed the Kodiak Driver, a virtual driver that combines advanced AI-powered software with modular and vehicle-agnostic hardware designed to help address Kodiak's customers' needs. The Kodiak Driver is not just an idea—it is operating without a human driver today. Kodiak serves customers in both commercial trucking and the public sector. In 2024, Kodiak believes it achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first company to deploy customer-owned and -operated driverless trucks in commercial service. The Kodiak Driver is also being utilized in the public sector, where Kodiak believes it can support national security initiatives and critical government applications.
Kodiak’s press kit with videos and images can be found HERE.
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Disclaimer: The content of this article solely reflects the author's opinion and does not represent the platform in any capacity. This article is not intended to serve as a reference for making investment decisions.
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