Veteran Silicon Valley executive Lorie Boyd joins Kodiak AI as Chief People Officer. Stock score locked: want to see it? Benzinga Rankings give you vital metrics on any stock - anytime. MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Nov. 02, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) - Kodiak AI, Inc. ("Kodiak") (NASDAQ:KDK), a leading provider of Physical AI-powered autonomous driving technology, today announced the appointment of Lorie Boyd as Chief People Officer. Boyd brings more than 30 years of experience in human resources and organizational leadership at some of Silicon Valley's most recognizable technology companies, including Turo, Salesforce, Oracle, Zendesk, and Plume. In her new role, Boyd will oversee Kodiak's human resources strategy, including talent acquisition, employee development, organizational effectiveness and company culture, as Kodiak continues to scale its team. Boyd succeeds Zsuzsanna Major as Kodiak's Chief People Officer. Major led Kodiak's people operations since the company's inception and played a vital role in the company's growth and success. "Lorie understands that our people are every bit as important as our technology," said Don Burnette, Founder and CEO, Kodiak. "Lorie's ability to bring out the best in employees, strengthen leadership, and build a culture of collaboration will be critical as we enter our next phase of growth. We want to thank Zsuzsanna for all that she has built over the last eight years. Her leadership and dedication have helped shape Kodiak's culture and laid a strong foundation for our continued growth." Most recently, Boyd served as Chief People Officer at Plume, where she led efforts to strengthen organizational culture and employee engagement during a period of leadership transition. Previously, she spent nearly eight years at Turo, the world's largest peer-to-peer car sharing marketplace, serving first as Vice President of People and later as Chief People Officer. During her tenure, Boyd helped guide the company's people strategy through significant growth, the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and preparations for an initial public offering. Earlier in her career, Boyd served as Director of Recruiting at customer service platform company Zendesk, where she built and led the company's global recruiting team, helping grow its workforce from approximately 100 to nearly 900 employees worldwide. She also served in leadership roles at Salesforce and Oracle. Boyd joined Salesforce as its 90th employee, prior to the company's IPO, and helped establish its human resources operations during a critical period of early growth. Boyd holds a bachelor's degree in Economics from Stanford University. "Autonomous trucking is changing how freight moves, and the opportunity to help build the organization behind that transition is incredibly compelling," said Boyd. "I've spent my career helping companies navigate growth and change while creating environments where people can do their best work. From my first conversation, the quality of Kodiak's team and its deep commitment to Kodiak's mission really stood out. I'm thrilled to join the team at this exciting moment, where Kodiak is scaling its technology on the road." Boyd joins Kodiak as the company prepares to launch long-haul driverless operations on public highways with shipper launch partner IKEA, while expanding its commercial relationships with some of America's leading trucking fleets. The Kodiak Driver, the company's vehicle-agnostic autonomous driving system, is already operating in commercial driverless service in the Permian Basin. As of the end of the second quarter of 2026, the company had deployed its technology in 35 driverless trucks with no humans in the cab. Forward Looking Statements This press release includes forward-looking statements including regarding Kodiak's or its management teams' expectations, hopes, beliefs, intentions or strategies regarding the future. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate," "believe," "continue," "could," "estimate," "forecast," "intend," "expect," "may," "plan," "potential," "project," "seek," "should," "will," "would" and similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters, but the absence of these words does not mean that a statement is not forward-looking. These forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, statements regarding: Kodiak's expectations regarding the timing of launching driverless trucks for long-haul highways operations; Kodiak's expectations regarding the timing of completion of work on its highway launch safety case; Kodiak's expectations regarding the expansion of its commercial relationships with some of America's leading trucking fleets; expectations regarding the benefits and performance of Kodiak's technology; and Kodiak's expectations with respect to its future performance and success. These statements are based on various assumptions, whether or not identified in this press release, and on the current expectations of Kodiak's management and are not predictions of actual performance. These forward-looking statements are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to serve as, and must not be relied upon by any investors as, a guarantee, an assurance, a prediction or a definitive statement of fact or probability. Actual events and circumstances are difficult or impossible to predict and will differ from assumptions. Many actual events and circumstances are beyond the control of Kodiak. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including changes in business, market, financial, political and legal conditions; the rapid evolution of autonomous vehicle technology and flaws or errors in Kodiak's solutions or flaws in or misuse of autonomous vehicle technology in general; risks related to the rollout of Kodiak's business and the timing of expected business milestones; the effects of competition on Kodiak's business; supply shortages in the materials necessary for the production of the Kodiak Driver; risks related to working with third-party manufacturers for key components of the Kodiak Driver; risks related to the retrofitting of Kodiak's vehicles by third parties; the termination or suspension of any of Kodiak's contracts or the reduction in counterparty spending; delays in Kodiak's operational roadmap with key partners and customers; and Kodiak's ability to raise capital in the near term and long term. Additional information concerning these and other factors that may impact such forward-looking statements can be found in filings and potential filings by Kodiak with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including under the heading "Risk Factors." If any of these risks materialize or any assumptions prove incorrect, actual results could differ materially from the results implied by these forward-looking statements. There may be additional risks that Kodiak does not presently know, or that Kodiak currently believes are immaterial that could also cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. In addition, forward-looking statements reflect Kodiak's expectations, plans or forecasts of future events and views as of the date they are made. Kodiak anticipates that subsequent events and developments will cause Kodiak's assessments to change. However, while Kodiak may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, Kodiak specifically disclaims any obligation to do so, except as required by law. These forward-looking statements should not be relied upon as representing Kodiak's assessments as of any date subsequent to the date they are made. About Kodiak AI Kodiak AI, Inc. (NASDAQ:KDK) is a leader in Physical AI, developing driverless technology that powers machines that move. The core of the company's solution is the Kodiak Driver, a vehicle-agnostic autonomous driving system that combines advanced AI-powered software with modular hardware. Today, the Kodiak Driver operates in the long-haul trucking, industrial trucking, and defense sectors, and is already deployed in commercial operation with no one in the cab. Kodiak AI commercializes its technology through both a Driver-as-a-Service business model and strategic partnerships. In 2024, Kodiak achieved a historic milestone, becoming the first company to deploy driverless technology in customer-owned driverless semi-trucks. Commercial partners and customers include DTL Transport, Atlas Energy Solutions, IKEA, Bridgestone, Werner Enterprises, C.R. England, General Dynamics Land Systems, and Roehl Transport. Kodiak Media Relations Pete Bigelow Public Relations Manager [email protected] Kodiak Investor Relations Steve Philistin Senior Investor Relations Manager [email protected] Posted In:

Industry takedown of botnet hidden in more than 1.3 million TV set-top boxes across 200 countries. 02/11/2026 Google, Plume, TrendAI(TM), Lumen, HUMAN Security, Synthient and Japan's National Police Agency form coordinated effort combining security research, threat intelligence and network expertise to identify and disrupt X.CPE botnet MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Nov. 2, 2026 /PRNewswire/ - Today, a group of private and public sector partners announced a coordinated takedown of X.CPE, a global botnet hidden in more than 1.3 million set-top boxes across more than 200 countries. Hidden on devices before they were ever sold, the botnet used subscribers' devices and home internet connections without their knowledge or consent. This takedown was led by Google, Plume, TrendAI(TM), Lumen, HUMAN Security and Synthient, along with Japan's National Police Agency. Google, Plume, TrendAI(TM), Lumen, HUMAN Security, Synthient and Japan's National Police Agency join coordinated effort combining security research, threat intelligence and network expertise to identify and disrupt X.CPE botnet. "Operations like this raise the cost for criminals and show that the infrastructure they rely on isn't out of reach," said Charley Snyder, Head of Disruption Operations at Google Threat Intelligence Group. "Disrupting X.CPE took partners across industry working together. It's proof that collaboration is one of the most powerful tools we have against threats that cross borders and industries." A familiar device hiding an unfamiliar threat X.CPE was embedded in firmware, the software that controls a device's basic operations, before set-top boxes reached subscribers' homes. X.CPE was built to evade pre-release security checks, and Google has since updated its review process in response, as well as banned the responsible OEM and any future subsidiaries or affiliates from making devices with preloaded Google apps. Unlike infections that depend on a user opening a suspicious attachment or installing an application, this threat arrived as part of the device itself. Subscribers received no consent request, notification or opt-out options. Google, Plume, TrendAI(TM), Lumen, HUMAN Security, Synthient, working with Japan's National Police Agency, carried out a coordinated disruption campaign against X.CPE. Each organization contributed in its own way, applying its expertise in connected-device security, malware analysis, network visibility and digital fraud to analyze the botnet and disrupt its operations. Together they dismantled a threat hiding behind seemingly routine device activity: software embedded in TV set-top boxes that gave botnet controllers remote access and allowed them to exploit home broadband connections without subscriber consent. The takedown also disrupted the command-and-control domains that operate the criminal affiliates' malware modules. Because these affiliates distribute their modules through channels beyond X.CPE, Google assesses that taking down these domains will sever access to at least 10 million additional compromised devices. The effort demonstrates the importance of connecting intelligence across organizations to confront threats that cross technology and network boundaries. By bringing together distinct perspectives on compromised devices, malicious software and internet traffic, the partners supported a coordinated takedown aimed at disrupting unauthorized access and monetization and addressing risks to subscriber privacy, broadband resources and trust in connected devices. Turning home broadband into a business without permission The botnet generated revenue from compromised devices in a variety of ways, including: reselling bandwidth, delivering video content, ad fraud, loading additional backdoors and, in earlier versions, installing apps for payment. Residential proxy software allowed third-party traffic to pass through subscribers' internet connections, using their home internet addresses and bandwidth without permission. Researchers also found collection of device, network and account information, alongside persistent remote access capabilities. For service providers, the findings highlight a supply chain risk that may not be apparent from a device's everyday performance. A functioning streaming box can still generate unexplained traffic and undermine trust in the broadband service. "Protecting the connected home requires visibility into threats that subscribers cannot see and should not be expected to detect," said Chris Griffiths, Chief Technology Officer at Plume. "By contributing broadband intelligence to this joint effort, we helped expose hidden supply chain risks and support coordinated action to make networks safer for service providers and their subscribers." Complementary expertise, coordinated action The partners contributed to the Google-led effort to disrupt X.CPE: TrendAI(TM) Robert McArdle, Director of Cybercrime Research at TrendAI(TM) "We applaud Google's decisive action in removing this threat. Our research identified over 1.3 million devices affected by this campaign. That's millions of households and businesses completely unaware that their equipment was being used as an accessory in active criminality - whether defrauding advertisers or piggybacking on their connections to carry out other attacks via residential proxies - which would commonly include identity theft impersonating people in their region. This action by Google and research partners significantly sets back these attackers, and TrendAI research will be watching them closely if they attempt to rebuild." HUMAN Gavin Reid, CISO at HUMAN "Compromised-device networks are sustained by profit: operators take control of devices and household connections without consent, then monetise that access through proxy services and various fraud activities. Group action, as exemplified in this operation, interrupts the infrastructure needed for monetisation, raising the cost of operating these networks and weakening the incentives that sustain them." SYNTHIENT Benjamin Brundage, CEO at Synthient. "Illicit pay-per-install networks provide a significant backbone to the larger fraud ecosystem, powering everything from direct ad fraud to unregulated proxy networks that push credential stuffing and DDoS botnets. The takedown of X.Cpe helps protect this space as a whole, as well as the unsuspecting consumers victimized by this scheme." - Benjamin Brundage Research and resources: About Plume Plume provides an AI-powered platform that enables internet service providers improve connectivity, security and the subscriber experience. Combining cloud-managed Wi-Fi, network intelligence and customer care orchestration, Plume helps service providers across more than 60 countries build subscriber confidence and operate more efficiently. More details about Plume. About TrendAI(TM) TrendAI(TM), the global AI security leader and enterprise business unit of Trend Micro, empowers organizations with full AI visibility, governance, and consolidated security that inspires confidence, drive innovation, and eliminate risk. Trusted by the largest enterprises and governments across 185 countries, TrendAI(TM) secures the entire organization, from identities to infrastructure to data. Global Fortune 500 companies rely on TrendAI(TM) to stop threats up to 115 days earlier, powered by world-leading threat and attack intelligence. More details about trendaisecurity.com. About Lumen Lumen Technologies connects people, data and applications through its network and technology services. Its Black Lotus Labs threat research and operations team uses global network visibility to identify malicious activity, generate threat intelligence and help protect businesses and the internet. More details about Lumen Technologies. About HUMAN Security HUMAN Security helps organizations protect digital experiences by detecting and disrupting automated threats, fraud and abuse. Its technology and threat intelligence help enterprises and platforms verify digital interactions and establish trust across the customer journey. More details about humansecurity.com. About Synthient Synthient provides intelligence to identify residential proxies, VPNs and bot infrastructure, helping organizations assess traffic risk and investigate abuse. Its researchers analyze proxy networks, botnets and adversary infrastructure to expose emerging threats. More details about Synthient. 18/08/2014 02/07/2026 13/05/2026 27/04/2026 30/04/2026 Discover more Public safety technology Bot development services Public safety software Blog 03/11/2026 Blog 02/11/2026

New Plume Console multiplies ISP business results by putting AI agents to work on cost to serve, churn reduction and revenue growth. Oct 13, 2026, 02:30 ET Plume Console gives every ISP team AI agents that autonomously find and resolve complex subscriber issues, turn months of analysis into a few clicks, while enabling operators to cut cost to serve, reduce churn and uncover new revenue opportunities VIENNA and PALO ALTO, Calif., Oct. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ - Plume Design, Inc. ("Plume"), the award-winning AI-native platform used by more than 450 internet service providers (ISPs) across 60+ countries to run the securely connected home, today introduced Plume Console at Network X in Vienna. Built on the Plume platform, Plume Console gives ISP teams a single place to investigate subscriber issues, create and deploy agents, and direct actions across Plume WiFi, Plume Security, Plume Care and their existing business systems. It puts the platform's intelligence and automation directly in the hands of the teams responsible for subscriber experience and business performance. Plume Console directs AI at the world's most comprehensive data fabric, drawn from more than 50 million homes, 600 million securely connected devices, and 3000 profiled applications. Finding the root cause of a complex issue, spotting a churn indicator or identifying a revenue opportunity can take an ISP's data science team months. With Plume Console, any team member can get a recommended next step in a matter of clicks. "AI is changing how people interact with technology, and soon agents will be making more decisions and taking more actions on their behalf, and for ISPs, that raises the stakes for connectivity, security and trust," said Dan Herscovici, president and CEO of Plume. "A decade ago, Plume pioneered cloud-managed WiFi and changed how ISPs manage the connected home. With Plume Console, our partners can build and direct agents that uncover problems, resolve subscriber issues and identify opportunities for growth across their business. We helped ISPs navigate the last major shift in connectivity. Now we're giving them the intelligence, control and freedom to lead the next one, with a future-proof platform that works across their hardware, existing systems and AI models." For longtime Plume partner NOS, Plume Console represents that vision in practice, giving ISP teams new ways to turn intelligence into action across WiFi, security and care. "We are excited about Plume Console because it is a significant step forward in how we deliver and care for the connected home," said José Pedro Teixeira, Director of Product Management at Portuguese provider NOS. "Plume listened to what service providers like NOS need and built a product for how ISPs will operate in the AI era. It gives our teams actionable intelligence across WiFi, security and care. Plume Console puts AI to work for our teams, turning insights into action and resolving issues before they lead to a truck roll or subscriber churn. With Plume Console, we can deliver a better subscriber experience and better business outcomes at the same time." Built to address 100% of subscriber experience issues For ISPs, the last stretch of connectivity inside the home can decide whether a subscriber stays or leaves. A speed test at the gateway can look healthy while a television buffers, a camera loses its connection or a video call drops, leading to a technician visit or a lower Net Promoter Score (NPS). Plume is built to address the full spectrum of subscriber experience issues. Today, the Plume platform autonomously resolves most issues through continuous WiFi optimization, security, and established automation. The remaining issues require care workflows, further investigation or intervention, and Plume Console equips ISP teams to tackle them, increasingly using agents to investigate, recommend and execute actions across connected systems. Every issue a Plume agent resolves can become an automation, so the share the platform resolves on its own grows over time. A recent study found that homes using Plume's technology had 31% lower churn, 20% fewer technician visits and a 16% improvement in NPS compared with homes not using Plume. An agentic workforce, designed and directed by the ISP Plume Console lets ISP teams leverage agents that autonomously identify issues and potential actions, often with just a few clicks. Teams can deploy Plume's pre-built agents, create new ones using an agent builder, or use SQL and templates to modify as needed. Agents can identify an issue, provide notification or resolve it. Using webhooks, MCP and APIs, Plume Console also connects the Plume platform to other systems for action, including service ticketing, CRM campaigns and digital care. Teams can also validate that each agent delivers reliable guidance before acting on or recommending it. One data fabric, every team The same data serves every team that shapes the subscriber experience: * Network operations can see how a single-location issue can impact locations across the network, and deploy an agent to address it. * Security analysts see every device, application and agent action in context, and can quarantine a device or set policy. * Care teams can investigate home connectivity details for context, with agents guiding them to the right resolution. * Marketers use Plume research agents to find opportunities hidden in operational data and then share insights and recommendations with CRMs to activate revenue growth campaigns. * Developers can build their own agents using structured data tables, APIs, MCP, agent cookbooks and recipes with the ability to connect via webhooks to ISP tech stacks. A securely connected home that learns from every network Lessons learned on one network strengthen every network on the Plume platform. When Plume Security Labs uncovered "SuperProxy," in which streaming devices silently enrolled homes in residential proxy networks that later delivered malware, the signatures behind that discovery began protecting other ISPs on the platform without those ISPs having to find the threat themselves. Plume Security protects every device from the gateway, with no software to install, and blocks six million threats a day. "In a securely connected home, WiFi and security shouldn't be managed separately, and no ISP should be responsible for discovering every threat on its own," said Chris Griffiths, Plume's chief technology officer. "When the Plume platform learns something in one network, every network benefits. Plume Console shows teams what was found and what the platform did about it, so they can act with full context while the ISP stays in control as automation grows." Alan Coleman, Plume's chief product officer said, "AI can optimize and protect an ISP's WiFi network in two critical ways. The first is predictable: governed, prescribed workflows that optimize WiFi and keep security always on, resolving the majority of issues efficiently and consistently. The second is where Plume Console shines: the open-ended problems with no established fix. Teams can direct a collection of agents to work together, investigate what is surfacing in the network and recommend the next step, while people set the guardrails and make decisions." Availability and demonstrations Plume Console will be demonstrated at Network X, Oct. 13-15, at VIECON in Vienna. Journalists attending the event are invited to see how Plume Console lets ISP teams design, deploy and manage an agentic workforce across WiFi, security and digital care. To arrange a demonstration or executive interview, contact [email protected]. About Plume Plume created the first managed WiFi platform for Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in 2016, enabling the company to scale across the globe and expand into managing the entire subscriber experience, including approximately 600 million connected devices, in 50 million homes, on behalf of more than 450 ISPs, across 61 countries. By integrating managed WiFi, cybersecurity and customer care, Plume created the first open, hardware-agnostic SaaS Subscriber Experience Platform for ISPs. Powered by an unmatched global dataset and AI optimization, the Plume platform builds subscriber confidence through improved WiFi experiences, seamless new service implementation and proactive customer care. Plume's open-source framework OpenSync(R) is pre-integrated and supported on the leading silicon, CPE and platform SDKs, and supports leading industry standards like RDK-B and prplWave. Discover more at www.plume.com. SOURCE Plume Design, Inc.