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…
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 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 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 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.
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 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 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.
Washington Post reports on how the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has fined Cruise $1.5 million for withholding key information from regulators.
SF Chronicle reports that Cruise is gearing up for a return to the Bay Area. Note that they are not actually returning, but just "gearing up" to do so. If Cruise considers this feeble attempt newsworthy then they are indeed in deep trouble.
NY Times reports that Cruise has restarted operations in Dallas, Houston and Phoenix, though with human safety drivers. Article also reports that Cruise has lost $500 million for the first 6 months of 2024.
NY Times reports that Cruise has hired a CEO and a Chief Legal Officer from the video game industry. They have also hired a Chief Communications and Marketing Officer.
