Aurora Innovation Inc.'s CEO and co-founder is amplifying his belief that self-driving technology is closer to reality than ever before following last week's closure of Argo AI, an autonomous vehicle peer and Strip District neighbor to Aurora.
In Aurora's (NASDAQ: AUR) monthly newsletter, Chris Urmson offered remorse for the fact that Argo had closed and praised its accomplishments. Argo CEO Bryan Salesky and President Peter Rander launched the company in 2016 after prior experience at other AV firms.
"First, my thoughts are with Bryan Salesky and the entire Argo team—this industry is small, we all know each other well, and many of us here at Aurora have worked with the Argo team, watched them grow, and seen the impact they’ve made," Urmson said. "It is disappointing, and it is unfortunate, and their absence will be felt in Pittsburgh and in the larger AV industry."
"But I also want to be clear that this is not a signal that a future with self-driving technology isn’t real or imminent," he continued before noting recent milestones obtained by Aurora's AV peers, stating that Google's Waymo LLC expanded its robotaxi fleet to Los Angeles while General Motors Co.'s Cruise LLC has begun charging consumers for the driverless robotaxi rides it's offering in San Francisco.
Urmson also remained steadfast in his claim that Aurora's path to the AV market starts with bringing self-driving solutions to long-haul trucking. He then claimed that this approach will result in Aurora being "the first vertical within the autonomous vehicle industry to generate significant revenue."
He backed this belief by touting Aurora's partnerships with FedEx Freight Inc., Werner, Schneider and Uber Freight as well as its partnerships with truck manufacturers PACCAR Inc. and Volvo Trucks.
"I have been in this industry for nearly two decades, and in this moment, right now, I believe we have never been closer to delivering self-driving vehicles to the world," Urmson said.
Argo employed an estimated 800 workers throughout the Pittsburgh region, a significant fraction of its total workforce of about 2,000 employees globally. Most of Aurora's 1,800-person workforce reports to its Pittsburgh offices.
