Either the gentleman next to me needs to lay off the triple-shot soy mocha lattes – or whatever it is they consume by the pint in California – or he’s quite excited to be here. He’s physically vibrating… probably why he’s strapped his iPhone to a gimbal stabiliser and hasn’t stopped filming the back of someone’s head for the past 10 minutes. When Rivian’s CEO and founder RJ Scaringe, eventually strolls on to the stage in a khaki shirt, jeans and pink Velcro Nikes, the guy erupts into a three-minute standing ovation of “Yeah!”, “Let’s go RJ!” and XL fist pumps. To be fair, the entire crowd does. Call me old fashioned, but doesn’t the applause usually come at the end of the show?
We’re gathered – the world’s media, enthusiastic Rivian owners and employees, RJ’s kids – in an old theatre in Laguna Beach, recently renovated to become Rivian’s flagship ‘space’. Think dealership with fewer sweaty salesman, more responsibly
