Securing the Future: Meet Michael Maass, Director of Product Cybersecurity

by Alex Mesa | Jun 5, 2025 | Cybersecurity, Education, Featured

At Torc, safeguarding safety-critical systems from evolving cybersecurity threats isn’t just a priority—it’s a core
mission.

At the helm of this mission is Michael Maass, the Director of Product Cybersecurity and Principal Product
Cybersecurity Architect, whose career reflects a deep dedication to building secure technologies, strong teams,
and forward-thinking strategy.

A Career Rooted in Cybersecurity Excellence

Michael brings over 20 years of cybersecurity experience to the table—17 of those spent specifically on
securing companies, products, and safety-critical systems. His background bridges the technical and strategic:
from writing low-level software in x86 assembly, C/C++, and Java, to leading cross-functional security teams
and developing ways to build security into products.

Throughout his career, Michael has helped companies adopt cutting-edge practices that meet both technical and
compliance requirements. His passion lies in one of the most complex and important areas of modern
technology: developing secure, safety-critical cyber-physical systems that can stand up to real-world threats
and regulatory scrutiny.

Building Secure Teams and Culture

Michael’s leadership extends beyond technology. He’s spent years building and nurturing top-tier cybersecurity
teams in the automotive space, ensuring they not only have deep technical skills but also understand the
broader impact of their work. His ability to communicate with executives, regulators, and external stakeholders
makes him a rare bridge between engineering and compliance—a necessity in today’s high-stakes
cybersecurity environment.

Leading Cybersecurity at Torc Robotics

At Torc, Michael wears two hats: he acts as both Principal Product Cybersecurity Architect and the Director of
Product Cybersecurity. In these roles, he leads efforts to embed cybersecurity into every stage of product
development for autonomous vehicles—systems that must operate safely and securely in the unpredictable real
world.

His leadership ensures that cybersecurity is an integral part of a product’s full lifecycle, ranging from inception
to product retirement.

Penetration Testing: Red Teaming for the Right Reasons

One of the key tools in Michael’s cybersecurity arsenal is penetration testing—a technique that simulates real-
world attacks in order to find and fix vulnerabilities before bad actors can find and exploit them.

“Penetration testing is essentially where someone with hacking skills applies those skills to a particular target,
with the goal of efficiently finding vulnerabilities and identifying hardening opportunities,” Michael explains.

Penetration testing is a process within the A Versatile Cybersecurity Development Lifecycle (AVCDL), an open
source document set crafted by Charles Wilson, Cybersecurity Architect at Torc, Michael, and cybersecurity
engineers at Torc and other companies, for use by the autonomous vehicle industry and any other creating
safety-critical cyber physical systems. This structured lifecycle ensures that every aspect of the product, from
hardware to software, is rigorously vetted for cybersecurity risks and those risks are addressed.

Penetration testing is just one part of a broader cybersecurity strategy. While penetration testing is often
spotlighted because it’s exciting and accessible, it’s important to note that a secure cybersecurity platform
includes a comprehensive set of practices. Many of these, while equally critical, are less known unless you’re
deeply immersed in the domain.

Still, penetration testing stands out as an illustrative example of how Torc’s structured lifecycle ensures that
every aspect of an autonomous vehicle product—from hardware to software—is rigorously vetted for
cybersecurity risks.

Inside the Penetration Testing Process

As Michael says, no two penetration tests are the same, but most follow six general steps:

Pre-Engagement: Define the target, set objectives, and establish boundaries.
Reconnaissance: Gather data on the system using both passive and active techniques.
Threat Simulation: Emulate the tactics of real-world threat actors.
Exploitation: Attempt to breach the system, identifying weak points.
Analysis: Assess findings and potential business impact.
Reporting & Recommendations: Share results and collaborate on mitigation strategies.

In a real-world example of a penetration test on a lidar system, Michael shared that safety and security go
hand-in-hand. Both components must work together to ensure the strength of a system. During this particular
lidar test, Michael pointed out that analog attacks, while harmful, aren’t necessarily as impactful as system-level
exploits.

Michael’s Vision for Secure Autonomy

Michael’s ultimate goal is to create technology that’s secure, reliable, and compliant—all while enabling
innovation. His work ensures that Torc’s systems are ready not just for today’s challenges, but that the larger
autonomous vehicle industry is ready to face tomorrow.

As Michael says, a rising tide lifts all boats. At Torc, that philosophy is core to how cybersecurity is
approached—not just as a competitive advantage, but as a shared responsibility across the industry. That’s why
Torc is pushing forward with tools like the AVCDL. By making this framework visible and accessible, Torc aims to
help everyone build safer, more secure, and more compliant products.

“I’m passionate about developing secure, safety-critical systems that balance innovation with acceptable
liability and compliance,” he says. In an industry where trust is everything, that mission is more vital than ever.
With decades of experience and a passion for securing the future of mobility, Michael Maass is helping to
shape the next generation of cybersecurity in autonomous vehicles. Through strategic leadership, technical
expertise, and a commitment to continual improvement, he’s ensuring that Torc stays ahead of the curve—
keeping systems safe, secure, and ready for the road ahead.

Growth and Relentless Focus: Setting Up 2025 to Realize Long-Term Success

by Alex Mesa | Nov 21, 2024 | People Ops

Torc has begun successful advanced validation of our autonomous trucks without a driver in a multi-lane closed-course environment.

As our team continues to drive the future of freight and push strongly into the productization phase of our development cycle, Torc is building out new teams in both the Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) area at our new autonomous hub location and Ann Arbor, Michigan, a hotbed of experienced software talent. The need for highly skilled workers in the fields of AI, machine learning, simulation, systems engineering, and data analysis has skyrocketed and Torc’s existing fully remote employee base in Michigan underscores its commitment to fostering a technology workforce capable of supporting revolutionary change in logistics and freight transportation. Additionally, Torc is shifting focus to Dallas/Fort Worth to realize our commercialization strategy timeline as we prepare to go live on our first launch lane between DFW and Laredo. “Torc continues to be in a period of growth and reinvestment, while consistently evolving the business at a rapid pace,” says Andrew Culhane, Chief Commercial Officer. “We’re being deliberate about where we spend our time, energy, and resources as we move from the R&D and advanced engineering phases of our development lifecycle, and into the productization phase.”

2025 location strategy

To create growth in the right areas and to attract the right talent, we need to strategically build our workforce in locations that best support our commercial business needs in the U.S. To that end, we are winding down and transferring operations and facilities from our original testing location in Albuquerque, New Mexico and technology hub in Stuttgart, Germany during the first half of 2025. Torc will be shifting many of its Albuquerque resources to Dallas and starting a hiring push there and in Ann Arbor, hiring over 100 positions in each location over the coming months.

“The Albuquerque and Stuttgart locations were critical for our development phases, as we tested on New Mexico highways and developed specifications for our product in Stuttgart. As we shift focus to testing on our launch lane from DFW to Laredo and developing a world-class team, we need to locate our resources in the areas that align with our future plans and lay the foundation for scaling the business to our customers’ needs,” says Culhane.

MICHIGAN

Interested in joining the Torc team in Michigan now? We ask that all interested applicants first fill out the General Interest Application – Engineering Talent form to pre-screen for roles in specific, needed sectors. If we think you may be a good fit for Torc, we’ll be in contact. We’re offering roles such as:

Software Engineers (C++, Python, ROS, Linux, SIL)
Embedded Engineers (NVIDIA, Ethernet, CUDA, GPU Optimization)
Automotive Software Engineers (AUTOSAR BSW (Base Software), Embedded C, Vector tools.)
Machine Learning Engineers (PyTorch, TensorRT and OpenCV)
DevOps Engineers (AWS)
Engineering Leadership

“We’ve set our sights on Ann Arbor because of its proximity to Detroit automotive and high-tech talent, and it makes good sense for our productization strategy to be in the Ann Arbor area as we grow and reinvest in our business,” says Meghan Juanarena, Director of Talent Acquisition at Torc. “We are also looking forward to tapping further into one of the nation’s top 10 robotics programs at the University of Michigan.”

Attendees interested in automation, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and software development will find roles that align with their skills and ambitions.

As part of the Daimler Truck family, we’re laser-focused on developing self-driving technology specifically for the Freightliner Cascadia, a challenge with unique obstacles and immense potential to boost our supply chains and keep our roads safer. This event is part of Torc’s larger commitment to building a team of talented, innovative individuals who are passionate about bringing the next generation of autonomous solutions to the road.

Are Autonomous Vehicles the Future?

by Alex Mesa | Sep 3, 2024 | Education

The future of everyday technology is full of innovations taken straight out of The Jetsons. But from 3D-printed food to robot butlers, we’re not so far from that sci-fi idea of what tomorrow looks like. Today, we ask our smart assistants to play our favorite songs and program our robot vacuums to clean the house while we’re at work. Our future, and our present, is full of these kinds of forward-thinking inventions, including self-driving vehicles.

While self-driving vehicles are still a ways out from becoming flying cars, autonomous transportation is rapidly becoming part of our current lives. In fact, many cars on the road currently have some degree of autonomy – and we’re not just talking about luxury autopilot features.

Programs like lane-keep assist and cruise control are all considered Level One Autonomy, or assisted driving. These days, cars with Level One autonomous functions are very, very common; it’s likely that you’ve driven one yourself. And as for Level Two Autonomy, wherein vehicles control both steering and accelerating/decelerating, there are a few cars on the road with this function, albeit their numbers are rapidly rising as autonomous technology becomes more affordable.

We might have autonomous vehicles now, but are autonomous vehicles the future? Will that Jetsons-esque future become our everyday?

Let’s Explore: Autonomous Trucking

At Torc Robotics, we’ve been in the autonomous technology world since 2005. As seasoned veterans in the self-driving world, we whole-heartedly believe that autonomous vehicles are the future. We believe that autonomous trucking will be one of the first forms of self-driving to make it to the market, with Torc trucks at the head of the pack.

Autonomous trucks, like the ones we’re developing at Torc, are the most viable form of self-driving technology due to a host of reasons, but some of the most apparent are our trucks’ addition of lidar and radar in combination with a full camera suite. When added to a Class 8 truck, these features allow our vehicles to understand what’s in the surrounding environment in real-time.

And while autonomous driving systems will certainly make the roads safer for all, autonomous trucking adds a layer of usefulness that personal self-driving cars aren’t geared towards. From strengthening supply chains to driving down the cost of goods, trucks like ours will create a better future in countless ways.

So, are autonomous trucks the future? Yes! Once it’s safe for driver-out vehicles to put tires to the pavement, you can expect autonomous trucks to carry goods to-and-from shipping hubs across the country.

Let’s Explore: Autonomous Cars

In the past few years, autonomous cars have exploded onto the scene. Although there are some flashy headlines and sleek cars rolling out onto city streets, are autonomous cars the future?

The answer is: yes, but it’s a little more complicated than the autonomous trucking equivalent.

Autonomous cars are certainly probable and possible; we’ll likely see Level Four autonomy on our streets in the near future. Thanks to algorithmic precision and sensors far better than the human eye, these cars will make our roads safer. They’ll also be more efficient thanks to carefully managed gas consumption, eco-friendly decision-making, and more.

However, the cost of hardware is currently a huge challenge for the kinds of cars that we park in our driveways. From high-performance computing to mass-market manufacturing, it’s difficult to create a self-driving car that is safe, affordable, and maintainable for the average person. That’s not to say that it’ll never happen – it’ll just take some time before technology catches up to affordability. For now, those looking for a self-driving vehicle can look towards the various Level Two autonomous cars currently available – or set their sights on the robotaxis that are currently coming to many cities across the United States.

Other Considerations: Software, Weather, and More

An autonomous vehicle, whether it’s a self-driving truck or a self-driving car, is an amalgamation of sensors, algorithms, processors, and more. At autonomous driving companies like Torc, we’re working to develop software that combines these elements in seamless, sophisticated ways. We’re laser-focused on developing trucks that operate autonomously in a few particular use cases: for example, in ideal weather conditions.

You might’ve heard that autonomous driving systems are still tackling the inclement weather challenge. While autonomous vehicles use a variety of sensors, cold inclement weather is still something the industry has yet to solve. Therefore, self-driving vehicles will likely launch in the Sunbelt region of the United States, where the weather is mostly temperate and snow isn’t a concern. However, we don’t expect snow to be an issue for long; there are promising solutions on the horizon, including ground-penetrating radar and other forms of localization methods. With so many developers working in a fast-paced, innovative industry, it’s only a matter of time before today’s problems become tomorrow’s footnotes.

So, Are Autonomous Vehicles the Future?

Yes. Autonomous vehicles are the future, just as they’re part of our present. As the autonomous driving industry continues to race towards self-driving solutions, we’re excited to see where the future leads us.

Why Level 5 Autonomy Is Science Fiction vs Science Fact

by Alex Mesa | Aug 14, 2024 | Education

What’s the number one question Torc’rs get asked? “When will your trucks fully reach Level 5 autonomy?” Humans like to think in the binary. Either you’re driving the vehicle, or you’re not driving the vehicle. But it is not so black and white when it comes to autonomous vehicles.

The SAE – the Society of Automotive Engineers International — has defined autonomous driving into six different levels. Only Level 5 is fully autonomous, to the point of theoretically being able to handle every driving situation that you could imagine, in every location in the world, without any human interaction or supervision needed.

Within the parameters of the 21st century, the software needed to create fully deployable Level 5, not to mention commercially viable vehicles, are science fiction.

Level 4, just a step under that, is reality. It is, in fact, the science versus science fiction.

What’s the difference between Level 4 autonomy and Level 5 autonomy?

The nuances between Level 5 and Level 4 are distinct and important. Understanding them is key to differentiating between the real and the fantasy.

Level 5 autonomy is where most imaginations run to when they hear “self-driving.” It is fully and completely autonomous. There is no need for a steering wheel, and all people are passengers. But that simplicity of Level 5 would require an astronomical amount of technological development, maintenance, and testing.

For a fully realized Level 5 instance, the autonomous driving system would have to navigate everywhere. Every drivable surface, from gravel roads to back-alleyways would need to be mapped and remapped. Situations that the vehicle would be able to handle would include everything from unmarked roads and new pop-up roadworks to a tornado dropping out of the clouds, as aliens land, and Godzilla starts attacking. The definition of Level 5 includes the autonomous vehicle making the right decisions in all those situations without complaint. In other words, an android would be driving the vehicle; there would be zero human intervention involved.

It is science fiction. Does that mean it will not happen? Maybe. However, Level 5 autonomous trucks are not a viable, achievable, accessible product for the 4.19 million miles of U.S. roads. And those vehicles, and that freight market, is what Torc is focused on.

Torc’s Focused Approach

Level 4, however, stays just slightly over that line of science fiction into science fact. Torc’s autonomous driving system can navigate without human intervention within environmental, route, or traffic scenario limits. The limits put on the expected or allowed performance of the trucks are defined in the system’s Operational Design Domain or (ODD). Within these factors, the autonomous truck can navigate the road ahead in defined situations. Importantly, Level 4 can be an autonomous product that can be realistically foreseen, programmed, tested, and viable. That is Level 4, a high automation drive.

We state the Whys to Level 4 Autonomous Trucking plan in our Safety Report:

Torc is working toward building a level 4 truck because we believe that this level of driving automation will be the safest for heavy-duty trucks and will offer enormous advantages in many areas.

Level 4 trucks will:

Make significant contributions toward safer roads and more sustainable transport solutions;
Enhance traffic safety thanks to a redundancy of systems and multiple sensors that can consistently achieve high performance – thereby helping to prevent the great majority of crashes that today result from human error;
Improve efficiency and productivity by, among other avenues, higher utilization of the vehicles – practically around the clock;
Avoid traffic jams by intelligent route management, making it possible to travel during light traffic times.

Level 5 Autonomy is Always Everywhere

Is Level 5 autonomy possible? The answer is complicated. For answers, we turned to Axel Gern, chief technology officer of Torc’s technology and software development center in Stuttgart, Germany. “Level 5 automation means, in my definition, always everywhere,” says Axel. “It needs to make safe decisions when you’re driving through the desert in Africa, or in the middle of Bangalore. But do we need to drive there autonomously? No, not right now.”

“Level 5 autonomy puts a lot of work and focus on these things, to achieve a safe system that is able to drive everywhere, every time,” Gern continues. “Level 4, when you start to restrict the scope, understanding the limits and living within those limits, is perfectly fine. When you basically cover the situation to at least a safe condition, what is called minimal risk condition or MRC, that is what’s useful. Anything else is a huge challenge. Level 4 autonomy, in the way Torc defines it, is approachable and doable.”

For the trucking and the freight logistics industry, Level 4 is the most appropriate and realistic. It is also, strategically, the safest level, and since the beginning of our company, safety and saving lives has been our work’s core mission.

At Torc, our mission is to create a scalable, commercially viable autonomous trucking product that will address the practical needs of the freight industry. We will leave fighting off Godzilla to our science fiction fans.

Embracing the Future: Torc Robotics’ Emerging Talent Program

by Alex Mesa | Aug 4, 2024 | People Ops

As part of our efforts to attract the best talent in autonomous technology, we’re constantly evolving our recruitment efforts. From creating strategic partnerships with educational institutions to expanding our co-ops, internships, and early career full time opportunities, we’re committed to finding and nurturing the best minds in the autonomous trucking industry.

In order to achieve our world-class recruiting goals, we’ve expanded our early-career tactics beyond the traditional university pathway and into our newest initiative: The Emerging Talent Program, encompassing community colleges, candidates of diverse backgrounds, and more.

About the Emerging Talent Program

This purposeful decision to expand our early career pathways aims to create a broader, more inclusive vision of our autonomous world. At Torc, we’re evolving with the global workforce to create new opportunities for future engineers, AI experts, and freight professionals.

Our new Emerging Talent program is centered around embracing diversity and nurturing the potential of individuals from all backgrounds. Whether you’re looking for early career opportunities in engineering or fleet operations, we’re encouraging our company to embrace all levels of talent, driving innovation and growth within our self-driving development teams. As we move towards this comprehensive approach, we’re building our methods on the following pillars:

Non-Traditional Pathways. “Emerging Talent” encompasses individuals from diverse educational backgrounds, including but not limited to community colleges, HBCUs, HSIs, MSIs, and more. coding bootcamps, vocational schools, and apprenticeships.
Partnerships and Engagement. This program allows us to engage with talent at the K-12 level, allowing us to showcase future career opportunities to our community.
Recognizing Diverse Age Groups. Not all students follow the traditional path of entering and graduating from their educational path in their early twenties; our plan encompasses those who might be shifting careers, returning to the workforce after caring for family members, or entering a brand-new field of study.
Focusing on Potential, Not Pedigree. We put emphasis on talent and skills over educational background. At Torc, your dedication to your work and experience is what helps carry our self-driving technology forward.
Development Focus. We’re focused on nurturing and developing our team’s talent through their early career stages and beyond, allowing each individual to unlock their true potential at Torc.

Beyond Theory, Into Execution with KIT

One of our first forays into this new initiative includes our partnership with Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT). As part of our collaboration with KIT, we’ve created a robust talent pipeline that encompasses both students and full-time employees. Through this partnership, we’re able to engage with top-tier talent from KIT’s innovative global community.

Simon Schaefer – From KIT to Torc Robotics
Simon Schaefer exemplifies the success of Torc’s Emerging Talent strategy. As a former student at KIT, Simon was a member of the Formula Student team “KA-RaceIng”, where he and his team built an autonomous race car. Thanks to Daimler Truck and later Torc sponsoring and supporting this team, Simon discovered Torc as an attractive employer and successfully applied for a job. Since then, he has transitioned seamlessly into his role at Torc where he works on the Vehicle Intent team. Simon has become a model employee and ambassador for our self-driving technology, complete with the hands-on experience in engineering and teamwork that KIT fostered in him. As an ambassador, Simon continues to foster the relationship between Torc and KIT, helping to attract and mentor the next generation of engineers.

Setu Namburu – Nurturing Early Career Talent

As a Manager of Applied Data Science at Torc, Setu is a key part of developing and delivering data-driven solutions for our self-driving technology. Using her extensive skills and background, she’s successfully converted five data science/analytics internship students into full-time employees during her time at Torc, showcasing her dedication to nurturing early career talent. Her leadership has been instrumental to Torc’s shift into this new program. Through her ability to guide, mentor, and advocate for early career professionals, Setu sets an incredible standard for our recruiting future.

Christin Scheib – From Europe to Blacksburg

Originally a student at Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and a Torc co-op, Christin has successfully transitioned to a full-time engineering role, moving from Europe to Torc’s HQ in Blacksburg, Virginia in the process. Since starting her work in automated truck technology, Christin’s efforts have allowed our hardware and software components to come together seamlessly, showcasing the potential that students can offer when converted to full-time employees.

Brent Papenfuse – Transforming Student Excellence to New Heights

Brent has been a key part of revolutionizing what recruitment means at Torc. In his capacity as Program Manager, Brent not only develops certification programs and maintenance procedures for our autonomous trucking solution, but spearheads hiring initiatives from technology schools and community colleges. He has also partnered with the Emerging Talent community program to influence company roles in diesel mechanics, fostering a new generation of professionals that is both technology-forward and rooted in traditional mechanics.

Alexia Tran – Propelling Achievement Across Borders

Alexia started her Torc journey as a research and development intern at Torc’s Montreal offices, where she developed state-of-the-art test benches, reverse engineered CAN bus messages, and more. After demonstrating her outstanding skills in everything autonomous engineering, Alexia was hired on as a full-time Systems Engineer. Alexia is a proud example of Torc’s community of globe-trotting professionals, having moved from Montreal to Torc’s Stuttgart, Germany offices in the name of developing our self-driving solution.

RELATED: Visit the Emerging Talent LinkedIn Page

The Future of Emerging Talent at Torc Robotics

Looking ahead, we’re envisioning that our new initiative will be a key driver of our growth strategy. Talent pipelines and software engineering internships like the ones we’ve developed with KIT will continue to be a crucial component, ensuring a steady stream of top-tier talent from across the globe. Alongside this strategy, we’re focusing on inclusivity, adaptability, and skills-based hiring across the board. We’re dedicated to attract and retain the best talent that the self-driving engineering world has to offer, driving our technology and our company forward in a competitive and dynamic industry.

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