Kyle Vogt did not provide the reasons behind his decision to leave, but his departure comes at a challenging time for the company.
Cruise announced Nov. 19 its CEO and co-founder Kyle Vogt would be leaving the company, which Vogt confirmed in a series of posts on X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter.
With Vogt’s departure, Cruise will now be led by Mo Elshenawy, who previously worked as the company’s executive vice president of engineering. Elshenawy will now be serving as Cruise’s president and chief technology officer (CTO).
Vogt did not provide details behind his resignation from the driverless robotaxi unit, though he noted he plans to “to spend time with my family and explore some new ideas.” He also adopted an optimistic tone in his posts, stating the workers of Cruise are brilliant, and the company was only getting started.
“Today, I resigned from my position as CEO of Cruise. The last 10 years have been amazing, and I’m grateful to everyone who helped Cruise along the way," Vogt said. "The startup I launched in my garage has given over 250,000 driverless rides across several cities, with each ride inspiring people with a small taste of the future.
“Cruise is still just getting started, and I believe it has a great future ahead. The folks at Cruise are brilliant, driven and resilient," Vogt continued. "They’re executing on a solid, multi-year roadmap and an exciting product vision. I’m thrilled to see what Cruise has in store next!
“To my former colleagues at Cruise and GM---you’ve got this! Regardless of what originally brought you to work on AVs, remember why this work matters. The status quo on our roads sucks, but together we’ve proven there is something far better around the corner. As for what’s next for me, I plan to spend time with my family and explore some new ideas. Thanks for the great ride!” Vogt concluded.
Vogt’s departure comes at a rather challenging time for the robotaxi provider. The company recently recalled almost 1,000 of its robotaxis, and it also lost its permit to operate driverless vehicles in San Francisco. The California DMV has also set its sights on Cruise, alleging the company misrepresented and omitted information relating to an incident when a robotaxi ran over and dragged a pedestrian who was previously hit by a human-driven car.
Abby Andrews