Apple veteran joins Magrathea as COO
San Francisco, 26 June 2025 - Magrathea, a company developing innovative technology for the production of carbon neutral light metal from seawater, has appointed Michael Vyvoda as Chief Operating Officer (COO).
Vyvoda brings to Magrathea more than two decades of leadership across global operations, technology development, and scale-up execution at high-growth startups and industry giants alike. Previously, he oversaw global operations for Apple’s audio products division - steering a fivefold increase in AirPods production, expanding capacity across Asia, and saving hundreds of millions of dollars through strategic cost reduction initiatives.
“Michael’s experience in engineering, technology, and full-scale manufacturing is a valuable asset we’re excited to have in-house,” said Alex Grant, CEO of Magrathea. “Magrathea is scaling up to satisfy the immense demand for secure primary metal, and we look forward to leveraging the expertise of a COO on our bench with a proven track record helping innovative technology companies build.”
In his role as COO, Vyvoda will partner with Magrathea’s leadership team to build out the organization over the coming months in service of delivering the company’s demonstration facility. Construction of the demonstration facility will begin in 2026 and production of metal at scale will begin in 2027.
“Joining Magrathea is a rare opportunity to help build something truly foundational - clean, secure ex-China metal production,” said Vyvoda. “From semiconductors and solar to electronics and large capital equipment, I’ve seen how manufacturing excellence shapes industries and geopolitics. I’m thrilled to bring that experience to a company tackling one of the most important challenges of our time.”
In addition to his time at Apple, Vyvoda’s background includes senior roles at other hardware and semiconductor companies, including Thinfilm Electronics, Twin Creeks Technologies, and SanDisk. He holds a Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley and a B.S. from the University of Michigan.
About Magrathea
Magrathea is a technology company based in California developing a new generation of electrolytic process for making carbon neutral metal from seawater and brines for the era of deglobalization and decarbonization. For media inquiries, please contact media@magratheametals.com.
Axios covered the news and the story can be found here.
A PDF version of this announcement can be found here.