Joby

Joby Aviation was founded by JoeBen Bevirt in 2009, with much of the early work done in a barn on his ranch in the hills above Santa Cruz, California. The company has spent more than a decade developing the S4, a five-seat all-electric eVTOL with six tilting propellers, a top speed of about 200 mph, and a range of around 100 miles per charge. The aircraft is designed to take off and land like a helicopter while cruising on a fixed wing, and is targeted to be roughly 100 times quieter than a conventional rotorcraft during takeoff. Joby has signed partnerships with Delta Air Lines for home-to-airport service, Uber for ride-app integration, and Toyota, which has invested over a billion dollars and is helping with manufacturing. In early 2026 the FAA confirmed that the S4 had cleared Stage 4 of its type certification plan, and the company is preparing to begin commercial passenger service in the United States. Manufacturing scale-up is happening at facilities in Marina, California, and Dayton, Ohio.