The founder and CEO of Cruise, General Motors’ self-driving vehicle unit, Kyle Vogt, announced his resignation on Sunday following a period fraught with challenges.
Cruise experienced setbacks in its robotaxi service, with a number of collisions and injuries. After a critical report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, California revoked the company’s authorization to operate self-driving taxis in the state, just three weeks after its initial approval.
“As CEO, I take responsibility for the situation Cruise is in today,” Mr. Vogt wrote in an email to employees. “There are no excuses, and there is no sugarcoating what has happened. We need to double down on safety, transparency and community engagement.”
Following the turbulent period, GM made leadership changes at Cruise by naming GM General Counsel Craig Glidden and Mo Elshenawy, a Cruise veteran, as co-presidents. The company has not yet named a new CEO.
Despite the challenges and change in leadership, GM expressed its continued support for Cruise’s mission to offer affordable self-driving taxi service to customers.
“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 company stated on Sunday.
Mr. Vogt established Cruise in 2013 and subsequently sold it to GM three years later for $581 million in cash and stock options.
GM’s steadfast support for self-driving cars is notable in an industry where many companies have scaled back their investment in the technology. Ford and Volkswagen abandoned their efforts to develop their own self-driving cars after observing the results from Tesla and Cruise.
