{"id":"bdde9265-8ff3-4b8b-a291-c2b7ce1308ff","slug":"shai-magzimof","name":"Shai Magzimof","bioBrief":"Founder and former CEO of [Phantom Auto](/companies/phantom-auto), a teleoperation / remote-driving startup he co-founded in 2017 and led until the company shut down in March 2024 after failing to secure new funding. Phantom Auto raised ~$95M total and developed a platform letting remote drivers operate vehicles — from forklifts and yard trucks to sidewalk delivery robots — from thousands of miles away. An Israeli-American entrepreneur who started companies at 16 and was named to the Forbes 30 Under 30 list (2020), Magzimof previously led games at Rakuten Viber. After Phantom's closure he posted publicly that he would be taking a pause before his next venture.","priorExits":null,"nationality":"Israeli-American","verificationPosture":"verified","aliases":[],"sources":[{"url":"https://techcrunch.com/2024/03/12/remote-driving-startup-phantom-auto-is-shutting-down/","title":"Remote driving startup Phantom Auto is shutting down","sourceName":"TechCrunch"},{"url":"https://www.forbes.com/profile/shai-magzimof/","label":"Forbes profile","title":"Shai Magzimof - Forbes"}],"reviewStatus":"reviewed","createdAt":"2026-08-09T02:17:22.632Z","updatedAt":"2026-08-09T19:26:27.834Z","educations":[],"companyRoles":[{"id":"c05053b6-85e4-4b68-9e38-6f1280a4def0","personId":"bdde9265-8ff3-4b8b-a291-c2b7ce1308ff","companyId":"8c622854-0bc3-41dc-8a1d-e07e07a595b7","role":"founder","roleTitle":"Founder & CEO","startDate":null,"endDate":null,"currentRole":false,"roleBasis":"verified_secondary","displayOrder":null,"createdAt":"2026-08-09T02:17:23.389Z","company":{"slug":"phantom-auto","name":"Phantom Auto"}}],"boardRoles":[],"investorRoles":[],"foundings":[{"id":"dcc639d6-64f6-45a2-8e80-fc5d8186c6c1","personId":"bdde9265-8ff3-4b8b-a291-c2b7ce1308ff","companyId":"8c622854-0bc3-41dc-8a1d-e07e07a595b7","foundingDate":"2017-01-01T00:00:00.000Z","cofounderStatus":"cofounder","stillAtCompany":false,"createdAt":"2026-08-09T19:26:29.058Z","company":{"slug":"phantom-auto","name":"Phantom Auto"}}]}