While companies like Waymo and Tesla are planning to step on gas and expand offers of robotaxi across the country, GM switches the gears to the other way. An E -mail obtained from Techcronych revealed that the largest car manufacturer in the United States reduces almost half of the workforce currently in Cruise, an autonomous vehicle that GM invested in the amount of $ 10 billion.
The release, announced by Craig Glidden, Cruise’s President and Chief Administrative Director, will hit nearly 1,000 employees, According to Reuters. This includes Cruise’s executive director, Marc Whitten, who will leave the company this week. The heads heading with him are the CEO of Security Steve Kenner and the Global Public Policy Chief Rob Grant and the main technologist Melshenawy.
Release come while General Motors has announced that it is Completed a complete acquisition of cruiseAdoption of a one -off startup completely under the roof. With GM ownership, there is a change in focus. Robotaxi’s job is mostly abandoned in favor of autonomous passenger vehicles – specifically, GM -ov Super Cruise system, which he installed in many of his recent models.
GM transition to Super Cruise is double: first of all, the company thinks features can make money. After the latest profit call, the car manufacturer predicts that autonomous options in consumer cars could generate as much as $ 2 billion in total annual revenue within five years, as the company charges a monthly or annual fee for access to features.
Second, Robotaxi was a real cash pit for GM. Not only did the company invested large amounts in a service that was yet to be really removed, it also caused serious injuries to people who were unconsciously exposed to what was very public testing of these arbitrariness vehicles. 2023. hit a pedestrian and pulled them 20 feetwhich resulted in serious injuries – a company incident tried to lie o National Road Traffic Safety Administration during the investigation.
Cruise Robotaxis also made titles back in 2022 when about 20 vehicles succeeded Get into the opposite that has blocked traffic in San Fransisco almost two hours. The other got tangled in the city’s light railway line and caused delays. AND New York Times report They discovered that cruise vehicles require human intervention at least once every 2.5 to five miles, which made them quite far from the status of self -sufficient.
If nothing else, GM decision to fold the job of Robotaxi should allow San Francisians to sigh with relief. It is a less autonomous terror to care for their city streets.