Autonomous vehicle company Aurora Innovation Inc. officially began trading publicly on Nasdaq on Nov. 4, 2021, following its merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). Regulatory filings posted days before Aurora went public showed gross proceeds raised from the merger as well as cash on its balance sheet as of Nov. 1 totaling about $1.8 billion. The company’s IPO came shortly after it established Pittsburgh as its sole corporate headquarters. Aurora (NASDAQ: AUR) plans to rely on the funds to keep its 1,800-person workforce and development efforts running until the commercialization of its autonomous trucking platform, which is now set to debut publicly in 2024. Using its universal self-driving platform — called Aurora Driver — the company also expects to launch passenger and small cargo vehicle services by the end of 2024 or early 2025.
What opportunities proved beneficial to have an exit in the past year?
Public markets recognized the value of the self-driving technology we’re developing, including how the Aurora Driver will help aid our ailing supply chain, address truck driver shortages and make our roads safer for everyone.
How has the exit benefited the company since?
Since our public listing, Aurora has been able to bring greater attention to the safety benefits of autonomous vehicles, including how we’re building the Aurora Driver for safer freight and passenger mobility. As we advance toward commercial readiness, we will continue to lead our industry with safety transparency, responsibility and accountability.
Is the company currently hiring, and, if so, for which roles?
Yes! We have dozens of open positions in Pittsburgh, and we’re currently interviewing candidates for engineering, administrative, operations, marketing roles and more.
— Matt Blackburn, senior manager of government relations, Aurora Innovation Inc.
