SF Chronicle – Cruise lays off 101 Bay Area employees as GM winds down robotaxi program
SF Chronicle reports that somehow Cruise still had 101 Bay Area employees to lay off
Robotaxi.news
Are robotaxis the future? Or instead, the past?
Robotaxi.news
Are robotaxis the future? Or instead, the past?
Cruise
Cruise will always be known as the robotaxi company to burn $15B to completely piss off both every resident of San Francisco and all of the government regulators…
Read MoreSF Chronicle – Cruise lays off 101 Bay Area employees as GM winds down robotaxi program
GM Authority – GM And Cruise LLC Sued By Investors For Misrepresenting AV Advancements
GM Authority reports that the Cruise saga is not yet over. GM and Cruise are being sued for misrepresenting AV advancements, in particular, having achieved level 4 autonomy.
Reuters – GM takes full control of Cruise in autonomous personal vehicle shift
Reuters reports that GM has finished taking full control and all stock of Cruise. As part of the process, 1,000 Cruise employees were laid off in the past.
TechCrunch – GM expects to save up to $1 billion on Cruise costs
TechCrunch reports on how CEO and Chair of GM Mary Barra made the best financial decision in shutting down Cruise. This will allow them to, unlike Tesla, maintain profitability in 2025.
Reuters – US closes probe into GM Cruise self-driving vehicles over pedestrian risks
Reuters reports on how NHTSA closes its probe into Cruise with respect to pedestrian safety. The probe was closed simply because Cruise is no longer viable.
Bloomberg – Why AI Investors Should Worry About the Self-Driving Car Crash
Bloomberg publishes one of the best written articles on the hype of the robotaxi business, and its inevitable fall. It shows how all of the robotaxi companies (including Waymo, but especially Tesla) have been dependent on hype to make the false claim that robotaxis have a near-term financially robust future. Yet they are still shockingly dependent on support by a large number of actual humans. And now, not only do robotaxis appear to be post peak bubble, generative AI companies will surely be following the same trajectory.
Bloomberg – What Robotaxis Brought San Francisco
In Bloomberg, David Zipper interviews the outgoing director of the SFMTA, Jeffrey Tumlin, on the impact of robotaxis.
TechCrunch – Cruise employees ‘blindsided’ by GM’s plan to end robotaxi program
TechCrunch reports that the Cruise employees didn't realize that there was no way that GM was going to continue to burn more money on the doomed project. The key thing is that Waymo employees currently believe that they will always be supported by the parent company. Well, it just doesn't work that way.
TheVerge – The end of Cruise is the beginning of a risky new phase for autonomous vehicles
TheVerge provides the most in depth coverage of the fall of Cruise. A robotaxi business is currently too expensive and complicated to succeed with financially. The article also appropriately points out that urban transportation advocates see the only true safety solution is fewer cars, not automated ones.
Fortune – With General Motors pulling the plug on Cruise, every American automaker except Tesla has called it quits on robotaxis
Fortune reports on how GM pulling the plug on Cruise shows just how hard it is for automakers to succeed with robotaxis. Tesla stockholders should take note.
Business Insider – Why GM pulled the plug on Cruise after spending $10 billion on robotaxis
Business Insider reports on how GM is shutting down the Cruise division. But their main point is that the robotaxi business is simply a bad business financially.
WSJ – General Motors Scraps Cruise Robotaxi Program
Wall Street Journal reports that, as predicted, Cruise has crashed. It is being shut down. And GM will focus more on development of advanced driver assistance systems, putting autonomy on the back burner.
AutoGuide – General Motors Wants To Stop People Being Mean To Autonomous Vehicles
AutoGuide reports that GM has been awarded a patent for having an autonomous vehicle respond to "adversarial behavior". It appears they really didn't like their Cruise vehicles getting traffic cones placed on them.
TechCrunch – GM’s Cruise to pay $500,000 fine to DOJ, admits submitting false report
TechCrunch reports that Cruise is being fined $500,000 because they withheld information from regulators. They are also being investigated by the NHTSA for issues with pedestrians, and with the SEC for financial issues.
The Verge – Cruise lost $435 million this quarter, even with its robotaxis on hiatus
The Verge reports that Cruise is still losing a tremendous amount of money even though it is not currently providing robotaxi service.
