Trevor Milton, the founder of Nikola who was granted clemency, plans to raise $1 billion to bet on AI autonomous aircraft

Trevor Milton, the founder of Nikola who was previously convicted of fraud and later pardoned by President Trump, is planning to enter the AI aviation sector. Milton, along with an investment group, acquired the struggling airline SyberJet Aircraft at the end of last year and plans to raise $1 billion to drive its transformation.

It is reported that Milton has recruited dozens of former Nikola employees and is actively seeking funding support from potential investors in places like Saudi Arabia, while also investing hundreds of thousands of dollars in lobbying efforts. His core goal is to develop a brand new avionics system from scratch to create "the first light jet focused on AI flight," and to open up the defense contract market. Milton admitted that building an airplane is "ten times harder than making Nikola."