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Uber Shutting Down Self-Driving Truck Division

posted by chromas on Wednesday August 01 2018, @04:53PM   Printer-friendly
from the ☑Embrace-☑Extend-☑Extinguish dept.

takyon writes:

Uber's controversial self-driving truck division shuts down

Uber is shutting down its self-driving truck program, the company acknowledged on Monday. It's the latest example of Uber scaling back its self-driving technology efforts in the wake of a deadly Uber self-driving car crash in March.

Uber's self-driving truck program has been embroiled in controversy since Uber acquired the unit two years ago. The acquisition price was reportedly $680 million, though the actual cost may have been much less than that. Previously, it had been a startup called Otto, led by controversial ex-Waymo engineer Anthony Levandowski. Waymo sued Uber, arguing that Levandowski had taken Waymo trade secrets with him on the way out the door.

[...] "We've decided to stop development on our self-driving truck program and move forward exclusively with cars," said Eric Meyhofer, the leader of Uber's self-driving technology program, in a statement to The Verge. Personnel from the truck division will be folded into the company's self-driving car efforts.

Previously: Uber Buys Autonomous Truck Startup Otto
The Fall of Uber CEO Travis Kalanick
Uber Pulls Self-Driving Cars After First Fatal Crash of Autonomous Vehicle

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  • (Score: 5, Informative) by takyon on Wednesday August 01 2018, @06:32PM (2 children)

    by takyon (881) <takyonNO@SPAMsoylentnews.org> on Wednesday August 01 2018, @06:32PM (#715843) Journal

    https://www.cnbc.com/2018/05/14/lyft-market-share-051418-bosa-sf.html [cnbc.com]

    For the first time, Lyft is disclosing internal market-share numbers, and they show its momentum isn't letting up after it capitalized on Uber's disastrous 2017.

    Lyft says it has 35 percent of the national ride-sharing market, up from 20 percent 18 months ago. That would represent growth of 75 percent.

    Lyft credits more activations of passengers and customers and greater brand awareness. The start-up says its market share is over 40 percent in 16 U.S. markets and that it enjoys majority share in "multiple" markets, although it wouldn't disclose where.

    "The last 18 months have been a period of incredible, sustained growth for Lyft," CFO Brian Roberts said. "There are no signs of that momentum slowing down."

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  • (Score: 1) by anubi on Thursday August 02 2018, @08:46AM (1 child)

    by anubi (2828) on Thursday August 02 2018, @08:46AM (#716119) Journal

    Where do we think Uber screwed up so badly?

    Business Trickery? Mistreating customers? Mistreating drivers?

    The first I listed, Business Trickery, is the quickest one that turns me off to businesses. If they can't present an offer clearly in an ad, I'd be damned to get in bed with them only then to discover what they were hoping I would not see until I committed.

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    "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good." [KJV: I Thessalonians 5:21]