Kyle Vogt, the founder and CEO of Cruise, General Motors’ self-driving vehicle unit, resigned Sunday following a turbulent period.
Cruise’s attempt to launch a robotaxi service was unsuccessful, experiencing a series of collisions and injuries. After a critical report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, California revoked the company’s authorization to operate self-driving taxis in the state, just three weeks after granting 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.”
GM had already made changes in leadership at Cruise last week by appointing GM General Counsel Craig Glidden and Mo Elshenawy, a Cruise veteran, as co-presidents. The company has not yet announced a new CEO.
Despite the accidents and change of leadership, GM expressed its commitment to Cruise’s mission of providing 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 said Sunday.
Mr. Vogt founded Cruise in 2013 and sold it to GM three years later for $581 million in cash and stock options.
GM’s support for self-driving cars is notable in an industry where many companies are withdrawing investment in the technology. Ford and Volkswagen discontinued their efforts to develop their own self-driving cars after observing the results from Tesla and Cruise.
