- Jennifer Garner is reportedly dating John Miller, the CEO of the company behind CaliBurger.
- CaliBurger is known for its stylistic similarities to In-N-Out and its burger-flipping robot, Flippy, which can grill 150 burgers an hour.
- Miller uses CaliBurger as a testing ground for technology that can transform the fast-food industry.
Jennifer Garner’s reported new boyfriend is one of the leaders of the movement to put robots to work in fast-food chains.
On Wednesday, Us Weekly reported that Garner has been quietly dating CaliGroup CEO John Miller for six months.
While he isn’t a typical Hollywood type, Miller has been making headlines for years. As founder, CEO, and chairman of CaliGroup, he has been the driving force behind a burger chain that looks like In-N-Out and uses robots to flip burgers.
Here’s everything we know about Miller, his relationship with Garner, and Flippy, the $100,000 robotic creation that grills 150 burgers an hour:
Miller, 40, graduated from Stanford Law School, in the honor society Order of the Coif.
Source: CaliGroup
Miller is an expert in nanomaterials and nanoscale electronics, and he has published "The Handbook of Nanotechnology: Business, Policy, and Intellectual Property Law."
Source: CaliGroup
Prior to CaliGroup, Miller worked at Arrowhead, founding the biopharmaceutical company's electronics business unit.
Source: CaliGroup
Miller founded CaliGroup in 2011. CaliGroup's website describes the holding company as "focused on using technology to transform the restaurant and retail industries."
Source: CaliGroup
CaliGroup owns CaliBurger and has made major investments in five tech companies geared toward fast-food chains.
CaliBurger's first locations opened up overseas. Early on, many drew comparisons between the chain and In-N-Out, with Los Angeles magazine calling CaliBurger a "shameless In-N-Out knockoff."
Source: Los Angeles magazine
More recently, Miller and CaliBurger have received attention for CaliGroup's emphasis on tech. For example, CaliBurger plans to install the burger-flipping robot Flippy at most of its roughly 50 locations by the end of 2019, the company said earlier this year.
Source: Business Insider
Flippy costs between $60,000 and $100,000 and is made by Miso Robotics, one of the tech companies CaliGroup has invested in.
Source: Business Insider
Miller has said that he wants to work with Miso Robotics to develop "AI-driven robotic solutions to assist with other tasks at CaliBurger."
Source: Miso Robotics
CaliBurger is also testing kiosks that automatically recognize the faces of certain loyal customers.
Source: Business Insider
"We're constantly struggling with labor cost issues in the United States," Miller said in a video explaining why CaliBurger is testing the facial-recognition kiosks and other types of tech.
Source: NEC
Miller is separated from his wife, concert violinist Caroline Campbell. According to Us Weekly, the two split in 2014 but are not yet legally divorced.
Source: Us Weekly
Garner filed for divorce from actor Ben Affleck in 2017.
It is unclear how Garner and Miller connected. A representative for CaliGroup did not respond to Business Insider's request for comment.
