Former Tesla Exec Joins Cannabis Industry

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]F[/dropcap]ormer Tesla executive Daniel Witt will become the first president and COO of Sonoma Lab Works, a licensed cannabis testing lab, the Sonoma Index-Tribune reported on Nov. 23. The company also released the list of people who will serve on its board of directors.

Sonoma Lab Works was launched in 2014 by Santa Rosa-based cannabis manufacturing firm CannaCraft. By adding Witt to the executive team, the company could absorb some of the benefits of his background in Tesla leadership.

“California’s cannabis industry is perhaps one of the few things that has moved even faster than technology,” Witt said in the company’s hiring announcement. “Despite changing regulations, the innovation is inspiring and it’s a privilege to work with a talented team to provide exceptional service and innovation.”

Sonoma Lab Works also announced its new board of directors which will include Darius Anderson, who purchased the testing lab, plus Gary D. Nelson, Henry Hansel, Marisol G. Lopez and Frank Yeary. “Witt’s energy and familiarity with both government and burgeoning industries melds perfectly with our desire to grow and expand the company into a leading service for the cannabis industry,” said Anderson. Other board members come from prominent backgrounds. Yeary, for instance, served on the board of directors for PayPal Holdings Inc. and Intel Corp. Anderson is also managing partner of Sonoma Media Investments, which owns the Sonoma Indes-Tribune paper.

It’s not the first time Tesla would be mentioned in the same sentence as cannabis. Last September, Tesla co-founder Elon Musk created quite a stir when he smoked cannabis during a live interview with Joe Rogan. The so-called stunt led NASA to investigate SpaceX over safety concerns. Due to an assortment of recent problems, Tesla nearly collapsed, but is clinging on for survival.

Witt, however, will bring a new perspective to the executive team of Sonoma Lab Works and add a level of leadership with his experience at Tesla.