Cruise is going through some things right now. After one of its robotaxis hit a pedestrian, the company halted all autonomous vehicle operations and issued a recall for many of its units. It also lost the ability to operate in California, its home base, at least temporarily, and now, we’ve learned that its CEO and co-founder has stepped down.
Kyle Vogt started Cruise in 2013, and the company was acquired by GM in 2016. Though it has been one of the most prominent names in the industry, Cruise has also seen plenty of criticism over how its vehicles operate and react to collisions and other problems.
Vogt did not give a reason for leaving his company, though it’s reasonable to guess his departure is related to the challenges Cruise has faced. He addressed the move in a series of posts on X/Twitter, saying, “The last 10 years have been amazing, and I’m grateful to everyone who helped Cruise along the way. The startup I launched in my garage has given over 250,000 driverless rides across several cities, with each ride inspiring people with a small taste of the future.”
Cruise is one of several companies working with autonomous vehicles, but the issues it’s faced illustrate the difficulties with driverless cars, even in the most limited use cases. We’re still years away from anything even slightly resembling a driverless future, and the technology is only part of the challenge. Government and public trust will take some time to win, and Cruise’s mishaps haven’t done much to build either.
[Image: Tada Images via Shutterstock]
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