Kyle Vogt, CEO of autonomous vehicle developer Cruise, who founded the company before its acquisition by General Motors. in 2016, resigned this afternoon. His announcement comes amid turmoil at the company, which last month got its permit to operate its innovative robotaxi service in San Francisco. suspended by state regulators.
“The status quo on our roads sucks, but together we have shown that there is something much better around the corner,” Vogt wrote in a message to Cruise workers. aware in X. He did not refer to the company’s recent problems.
Cruise’s crisis began on the night of October 2 in San Francisco when a human driver struck a female pedestrian and threw her into the path of one of the company’s driverless robotaxis.
Cruise initially said his vehicle swerved and braked, but still hit the pedestrian. Three weeks later, California regulators suspended cruising license to operate its driverless service in San Francisco. The state Department of Motor Vehicles alleged that the company had did not reveal that his vehicle attempted to exit traffic after the accident, dragging the victim forward about 20 feet.
Cruise has insisted that he showed video of the entire incident, including the drag, to state and federal regulators. The company have since then it stopped all filming and testing operations across the country, including in Austin, Texas, where it also offered paid Uber-style robotaxi rides. He recalled the technology involved in the October crash, which he said could be fixed through an over-the-air update. He also announced a series of movements that the company says are dedicated to “rebuilding trust,” including third-party reviews of their operations and safety culture.
Cruise’s vice president of engineering, Mo Elshenawy, will take over as the company’s president and chief technology officer, spokesman Aaron McLear said in a written statement. Craig Glidden, GM’s executive vice president of policy and legal affairs, who was named Cruise’s chief administrative officer last week, will also serve as president of the unit. There will be no interim CEO.
Bumpy ride
Even before the October incident, Cruise and Vogt had faced criticism for their aggressive approach to self-driving technology. Lifeguards in San Francisco saying The cars did not always react appropriately to the presence of police and firefighters. In August, a fire truck responding to an emergency with sirens on collided with a Cruise vehicle at an intersection after the vehicle failed to stop. In mid-October, Cruise said it had improved your technology responses to emergency vehicles.
Vogt’s approach to self-driving technology was different from parent company General Motors’ slower, more cautious approach. Still, General Motors reaffirmed its faith in Cruise’s founder in 2021, when GM veteran Dan Ammann left the company. Vogt, then Cruise’s chief technology officer, was named interim CEO before taking on the role permanently in 2022.
Financial reports show GM has lost about $8.2 billion on Cruise since 2017. It has spent $1.9 billion on the autonomous vehicle developer so far this year.
