The founder and CEO of autonomous vehicle company Cruise, which is owned by General Motors, announced on X that he is resigning. Kyle Vogt founded the company in 2013 and also served as its president and chief technology officer.
Cruise vehicles, which were first launched in San Francisco, have been plagued by problems this year. Following reports of crashes and technology malfunctions, Cruise paused all of its driverless operations in October.
Cruise had an initial goal to shuttle people in big cities, especially at night.
"Whether it’s finding a ride at all, sharing the road with dangerous drivers, or safely getting to your doorstep, nighttime transportation needs dramatic improvement," the company states on its website.
Today I resigned from my position as CEO of Cruise. (1/5)
— Kyle Vogt (@kvogt) November 20, 2023
In his resignation post on X, Vogt said he still believes Cruise has a "great future ahead."
"The folks at Cruise are brilliant, driven, and resilient. They’re executing on a solid, multi-year roadmap and an exciting product vision," he said. "I’m thrilled to see what Cruise has in store next!"
Cruise will have work to do to restore trust with the public and transportation officials. California revoked Cruise's license to operate vehicles in the state after one of the cars dragged a pedestrian about 20 feet, critically injuring them.
The company has since recalled 950 of its cars for a software upgrade. Cruise says the update will make sure the car remains stationary if a person is somehow struck in the future.
GM recalls self-driving cars after vehicle dragged a pedestrian
The crash prompted Cruise to suspend driverless operations nationwide after California regulators found the cars posed a danger to public safety.
