“The last 10 years have been amazing, and I’m grateful to everyone who helped Cruise along the way. The startup I launched in my garage has given over 250,000 driverless rides across several cities, with each ride inspiring people with a small taste of the future,” Mr. Vogt, an entrepreneur who previously founded the video streaming service Twitch, wrote.
“Cruise is still just getting started, and I believe it 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. I’m thrilled to see what Cruise has in store next,” he continued.
“To my former colleagues at Cruise and GM - you’ve got this! Regardless of what originally brought you to work on AVs, remember why this work matters. The status quo on our roads sucks, but together we’ve proven there is something far better around the corner,” Mr. Vogt added.
The former Cruise CEO, who launched his company in 2013 before it was purchased by General Motors in 2016, did not state the reason behind his departure.
He also did not reveal his future plans, writing only that he plans to “spend time with my family and explore some new ideas.”
Cruise AVs ‘Not Safe for the Public’s Operation’
Mr. Vogt’s resignation comes after Cruise announced in October that it had put driverless operations on hold after the California Department of Motor Vehicles said the firm’s autonomous vehicles (AVs) were “not safe for the public’s operation” and suspended its permits to operate driverless vehicles in the state.The suspension followed a series of accidents involving Cruise vehicles, including collisions with other vehicles and pedestrians.
In April, GM recalled 300 Cruise AVs in order to update software after one of the driverless vehicles crashed into the back of a municipal San Francisco bus, causing moderate damage to the Cruise but no injuries.
Months later in October, a woman sustained serious injuries when she became trapped under a Cruise AV in San Francisco after being hit by another driver, propelling her into the path of one of their autonomous vehicles, which then proceeded to drag her 20 feet across the ground as it attempted to pull over, leaving her pinned under the car as it came to a stop.
First responders later arrived at the site and extracted her but the incident became a high-profile event for Cruise.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also said in December that it was investigating Cruise following reports of three crashes in which its vehicles were rear-ended by other cars after the autonomous vehicles braked too fast, leading to two injuries.
Cruise to ‘Rebuild Public Trust’
As a result of the recent incidents, Cruise said last month that it was ending its driverless operations in Phoenix, Houston, Austin, Dallas, and Miami while it worked to “rebuild public trust.”In a statement at the time, Cruise said it planned to take a “hard look inwards and at how we do work at Cruise, even if it means doing things that are uncomfortable or difficult.”
“In that spirit, we have decided to proactively pause driverless operations across all of our fleets while we take time to examine our processes, systems, and tools and reflect on how we can better operate in a way that will earn public trust,” the company said.
The company confirmed Sunday night it had accepted Mr. Vogt’s resignation but did not provide further details regarding his departure.
Cruise has not yet announced who will replace Mr. Vogt as CEO.
The Epoch Times has contacted a spokesperson for Cruise for further comment.
