Sources Contact Advanced Search Tutorials

An Interest In:

Web News this Week

Search Archive

Some of Our Sources

View All Sources

Help Webnuz

Referal links:

September 29, 2020 10:51 pm

How Uber Wasted $2.5 Billion on Self-Driving Cars

After five years and an investment of around $2.5 billion, Uber's effort to build a self-driving car has produced this: a car that can't drive more than half a mile without encountering a problem [Editor's note: the link may be paywalled; alternative source]. From a report: "The car doesn't drive well" and "struggles with simple routes and simple maneuvers," said a manager in the unit, in a 1,500-word email sent three weeks ago to Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, warning of the issues. The self-drivingâ"car unit "has simply failed to evolve and produce meaningful progress in so long that something has to be said before a disaster befalls us," said the manager in the email, which The Information has seen. The manager -- whose identity The Information confirmed -- reflects a common belief across Uber that the unit, known as the Advanced Technologies Group, is destined to lose the high-stakes race to its rivals, which have demonstrated a lot more headway, comparatively speaking. The manager is one of a growing number of voices, both insiders and former employees, raising concerns about the unit's effectiveness and questioning Khosrowshahi's ability to hold anyone accountable for its failures. Thuan Pham, Uber's longtime chief technology officer, who quit earlier this year, is one of those critics. "Over the past two years I have periodically raised concerns with Dara on whether meaningful self-driving progress is being made at ATG and specifically urged him to ask specific questions in this area in order to assess this for himself," said Pham in an interview. "I just don't understand why, from all observable measures, the thing isn't making progress. How come there hasn't been accountability or transparency?"

Slashdot

Slashdot was originally created in September of 1997 by Rob "CmdrTaco" Malda. Today it is owned by Geeknet, Inc..

More About this Source Visit Slashdot