It appears that the recent Uber incident where a self-driving car collided into a pedestrian may extend to leadership. A source told CNBC that Lior Ron, the co-creator of Otto and co-founder of Uber’s tricking unit, has left the company.
At this time, it’s not certain why he would leave the company, but his exit comes at an interesting time because it’s just days after the Arizona crash took place that took the life of a cyclist. Uber declined to comment to CNBC, but did say that it remained “fully invested in and excited about” its Uber Freight business that Ron has been overseeing. Additionally, a source familiar with the matter confirmed Ron’s exit, and added that he was not involved in Uber’s self-driving unit.
Here’s where things get a bit more interesting. There are more concerns that a decision was made to reduce the number of sensors on Uber’s test vehicle that ended up creating blind spots. The program doesn’t also have as much real-world testing experience as its rivals do like Waymo. While experience didn’t necessary factor into the crash, it certainly doesn’t help the company’s case for testing in Arizona and its testing now being blocked by the state’s governor.
