Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt has announced his resignation from General Motors’ (GM) robotaxi unit. Vogt, who has been with the company since 2013, is the co-founder and current CEO of Cruise. The news comes less than a year after GM acquired Cruise for $1 billion, and Vogt had previously served as Cruise’s Chief Technology Officer (CTO).
“As a co-founder of Cruise, it has been a tremendous honor to serve as its CEO for the past 8 years. We have accomplished a great deal together in that time, and I am incredibly proud of the People of the Ship,” said Vogt in a statement.
Vogt is widely seen as the brains behind the Cruise self-driving car. Under Vogt’s leadership, Cruise has released a full self-driving vehicle system, known as Origin, for testing on public roads in California. The system is currently undergoing additional testing in San Francisco, and Cruise says it is planning to roll out the system in other cities as well.
Vogt will be replaced as CEO by Doug Parks who currently serves as Executive Vice-President of the GM Autonomous Vehicle Unit. Parks has worked with Cruise since the 2013 acquisition by GM and helped develop the company’s current strategy.
“I am excited to build on the foundation that Kyle and the entire Cruise team have laid in driving the development and deployment of self-driving vehicles,” said Parks in a statement.
Cruise has become an important part of GM’s transportation vision. The company is currently working on developing driverless vehicles and ride-splitting technology. It is a major player in the emerging autonomous vehicle market, and Vogt’s departure could potentially have major implications for the company’s future.
