Travis Kalanick on Uber's Missed Opportunity: Autonomous Vehicles

Travis Kalanick Criticizes Uber's Autonomous Vehicle Program Abandonment

Travis Kalanick, Uber’s previous Chief Executive Officer, publicly stated on Wednesday his conviction that the company’s choice to discontinue its autonomous driving initiative was ill-advised.

Speaking at the Abundance Summit held in Los Angeles, Kalanick remarked, “The autonomous car project we were developing was terminated by the current leadership.”

He further elaborated that at the time of the program’s cancellation, Uber was closely trailing Waymo in autonomous technology, with a strong potential to surpass them in the near future.

Kalanick acknowledged he was no longer at the helm of the company when this decision was made, but expressed a sentiment of regret, stating, “It would be advantageous to possess an autonomous ride-sharing product currently.”

Sale of Uber's Self-Driving Unit

In 2020, Uber divested its self-driving division to Aurora, a developer of autonomous technology, in a sale widely described as a fire sale.

This occurred three years after Kalanick was compelled to resign from his position.

The sale was considered logical at the time, as the autonomous driving program was incurring substantial financial losses, with Uber having already invested hundreds of millions of dollars into its development.

Currently, Waymo’s autonomous vehicles are operational in several major metropolitan areas, including the Bay Area, Los Angeles, and Phoenix, and are expanding into additional markets.

Current Partnership and Potential Risks

Waymo has recently established a partnership with Uber in Austin, Texas, and Uber anticipates its platform will be instrumental in facilitating the growth of Waymo’s service.

However, Kalanick implied that business relationships are subject to change.

Should Waymo determine it no longer requires an intermediary, Uber, which was once envisioned as the future of transportation, could potentially face setbacks.

Uber’s future success may depend on maintaining a strong relationship with Waymo and other autonomous vehicle developers.

The decision to sell the self-driving unit remains a point of contention, particularly as competitors like Waymo continue to advance in the field.