Founder And CEO Of GM’s Self-Driving Car Unit Resigns In Wake Of Safety Problems

Kyle Vogt, the CEO of GM self-driving car division Cruise, resigned late Sunday. His retirement came the day after he apologized to the unit’s employees for issues that prompted state and federal regulators to take action following a string of mishaps.

It’s a quick turnaround for the business, which only three months ago received a license to run its driverless taxis 24/7 in San Francisco and announced ambitions to expand to other US cities. A month ago, it announced a collaboration with Honda to bring robotaxis to Japan.

However, pedestrian crashes and injuries caused the business to effectively cease its robotaxi service nationally at the end of October after California regulators revoked its license to operate driverless cars.

Despite the numerous issues and high-level turnover, GM said on Sunday that it stayed with Cruise and its efforts to produce self-driving cars. Aside from the safety issues at Cruise, the unit has cost the corporation $5.9 billion in pre-tax profit since the beginning of 2020. Ford and Volkswagen halted their cooperative attempts to build self-driving cars a little more than a year ago, as executives at those competing automakers questioned if robotaxis would be commercially feasible anytime soon.

The most catastrophic Cruise accident occurred on October 2 in San Francisco, when a pedestrian was critically injured after being hit by both a typical human-driven car and a Cruise driverless car. According to accident paperwork, the pedestrian was pinned under the Cruise car and dragged for 20 feet.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced two weeks later that the collision and reports of additional accidents using Cruise vehicles and pedestrians motivated it to initiate a safety investigation into Cruise vehicles.

Founder And CEO Of GM’s Self-Driving Car Unit Resigns In Wake Of Safety Problems

Following the NHTSA announcement, as well as the action by California authorities to revoke its license to operate driverless cars in the state, Cruise announced that it would suspend its driverless taxi service, though it would continue to operate with drivers in the car ready to take over for the self-driving feature.

Cruise recalled the vehicles earlier this month.

“I am sorry that we have veered off course under my leadership and that this has affected many Cruisers in a deeply personal way,” Vogt wrote in an email to staff on Saturday, according to Reuters.

“As CEO, I take responsibility for the situation Cruise is in today,” he said. “There are no excuses and no sugarcoating what has occurred.” We must increase our focus on safety, openness, and community engagement.”

Vogt launched the company in San Francisco in 2013 and 2016 sold an 80% share to GM for $581 million, half of which was paid in cash and the balance in GM stock.

Employees of the unit held the majority of the remaining 20% ownership in Cruise, and they had the option to sell their shares back to GM. Reuters reported last week that it had temporarily halted employee share sales owing to financial and safety issues, only to resume sales in response to staff complaints.

The corporation acknowledged Vogt’s departure on Sunday night. GM had previously taken steps to gain greater control of the unit, naming GM General Counsel Craig Glidden as co-president and chief administrative officer of Cruise last week. Mo Elshenawy, a six-year Cruise employee, was named the other co-president in addition to his duties as chief technology officer. As part of Vogt’s resignation announcement on Sunday, no new CEO was identified.

Founder And CEO Of GM’s Self-Driving Car Unit Resigns In Wake Of Safety Problems

“GM has made a bold commitment to autonomous vehicle technology because we believe in the profound, positive impact it will have on societies, including saving countless lives,” the automaker said in a statement on Sunday.

“We are firmly committed to Cruise’s mission and the transformative technology it is developing.” “We fully support the actions that Cruise leadership is taking to ensure that safety comes first and that trust and credibility are built with government partners, regulators, and the broader community,” the statement stated. “Our commitment to Cruise with the goal of commercialization remains steadfast.”

SOURCE – (CNN)