General Motors-backed Cruise CEO resigns amidst a safety shakeup

Following developments regarding the safety of its self-driving robot axis, General Motors-backed  (GM) - Get Free Report Cruise said in a statement late Sunday night that CEO Kyle Vogt has resigned from his position.

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According to Cruise, Mo Elshenawy, its executive vice president of engineering will serve as co-president and CTO, while Craig Glidden will serve as the other co-president in addition to his duties as chief administrative officer.

Vogt took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to announce his departure in a multi-tweet statement that reflects back at the company he co-founded.

Today I resigned from my position as CEO of Cruise. (1/5)— Kyle Vogt (@kvogt) November 20, 2023

"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 tweeted. "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!"

The company that Vogt co-founded in 2013 is currently going through a massive shakeup that originated after a crash involving one of its robot taxis hitting a pedestrian in San Francisco.

In October 2023, Cruise's permits were suspended by the California Department of Motor Vehicles, which cited that its vehicles are "not safe for the public’s operation” and that they posed “an unreasonable risk to the public.”

Currently, the company's robotaxi operations remain in an indefinite pause across the country. In its statement, Cruise said that it is taking time to engage with "third-party experts and strengthen public trust," while the company reviews its safety protocols.

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"The results of our ongoing reviews will inform additional next steps as we work to build a better Cruise centered around safety, transparency and trust," Cruise said. "We will continue to advance AV technology in service of our mission to make transportation safer, cleaner and more accessible.”

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