uber Uber Cuts 3,000 More Jobs and Closes 45 Offices Amid Pandemic Uber lays off an additional 3,000 employees and shuts down 45 global offices as the company attempts to become a self-sustaining business. These cuts come just weeks after a previous round of 3,700 layoffs.
cruise GM's Cruise Trims 8% of Workforce to Focus on Engineering Cruise, the self-driving unit of General Motors, reduces about 8% of its staff to rebalance operations and prioritize engineering talent. The layoffs primarily affect non-engineering departments like recruiting and human resources.
gm GM Cruise Trims 8% of Workforce Amid Pandemic Pressure on Autonomous Industry General Motors' self-driving subsidiary Cruise lays off roughly 150 employees as the pandemic intensifies financial struggles across the autonomous vehicle sector. The cuts target non-engineering roles while the company shifts its focus toward core technical development.
ford Ford Delays Commercial Autonomous Vehicle Service to 2022 Amid Pandemic Ford postpones its planned autonomous vehicle service launch from 2021 to 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The automaker reports a $2 billion first-quarter loss and plans to study shifting consumer behaviors before introducing the self-driving service.
sidewalk bots Sidewalk Delivery Bots See Unprecedented Demand Amid Pandemic Last-mile sidewalk delivery robot companies like Starship and Kiwibot are experiencing major surges in demand as consumers seek touchless delivery options during the pandemic.
bosch Bosch Lowers Self-Driving Costs While Trifo Raises Millions for AI Vacuum German automotive supplier Bosch introduces a new LIDAR sensor designed to make self-driving technology more affordable for the mass market. Meanwhile, AI robotics startup Trifo launches its smart vacuum robot Lucy and closes a $15 million Series B funding round.
arbe Arbe Raises $32 Million to Produce High-Resolution Radar for Self-Driving Cars Tel Aviv-based startup Arbe secures $32 million in Series B funding to mass-produce its advanced radar chipset designed to help autonomous vehicles accurately identify objects in any weather condition. The company already counts five Tier 1 automotive suppliers as customers.
volkswagen Volkswagen Plans Autonomous Electric Shuttle Network in Qatar Volkswagen and Qatar partner to launch a fleet of self-driving electric shuttles and buses in Doha by 2022.
autonomous vehicles Autonomous Transit Startup Bluespace.ai Raises $3.5 Million Seed Round Bluespace.ai secures $3.5 million in seed funding to develop autonomous driving software specifically for full-size mass transit vehicles. The startup aims to safely operate buses at regular road speeds without requiring millions of test miles.
ai index Stanford AI Index Reveals Exploding Investment and Rapid Training Speeds The 2019 AI Index report highlights massive global private investment exceeding $70 billion and a dramatic drop in AI training times. The study also shows China matching Europe in AI research publications while AI dominates computer science PhD specializations.
self-driving cars The Slow, Incremental Reality Behind Self-Driving Car Hype The dream of fully autonomous vehicles is arriving much slower than predicted, unfolding through tiny, cautious steps rather than a sudden market takeover. Early deployments remain limited to ideal conditions, leaving complex edge cases unsolved.
waymo Waymo Discovers Human Psychology Is the Key to Driverless Success Waymo finds that designing a user experience for fully autonomous vehicles relies heavily on behavioral psychology rather than just hard science.
unity Unity Targets Autonomous Cars and Robotics With Cloud Simulation Product Unity unveils Unity Simulation, a new cloud-based product that leverages Google Cloud to help robotics and self-driving car companies test virtual environments at scale.
zoox Zoox CEO Aicha Evans to Discuss Autonomous Future at Disrupt SF Zoox CEO Aicha Evans prepares to take the stage at TechCrunch Disrupt SF to share her vision for the company's autonomous ride-hailing service.
farmwise FarmWise Raises $14.5M for Autonomous Weed-Pulling Agricultural Robots Startup FarmWise secures $14.5 million in funding to advance its autonomous weeding vehicle that precisely plucks invasive plants from crop fields. The company plans to expand its AI capabilities to monitor crop health and apply targeted treatments.