Sterling Anderson, a prominent figure in the autonomous vehicle sector, has announced his resignation from Aurora, the self-driving truck startup he co-founded in 2017. His departure marks the end of an era for the company. Just last week, they made the biggest splash yet, with the announcement of a self-driving truck service operating in Texas.
Anderson, who was most recently the chief product officer at Aurora, will depart the company completely on June 1. His resignation from the board takes effect on August 31. The announcement of his exit was delivered via a regulatory filing that contained Aurora’s first-quarter earnings release. It confirmed that Anderson’s decision to resign was not due to any disagreements regarding the company’s operations or policies.
Anderson was a key figure at Tesla, where he was in charge of the Autopilot program. He later went on to co-found Aurora with CEO Chris Urmson and Drew Bagnell. He has nearly a decade of experience in the autonomous vehicle sector. This deep background has made him a sort of veteran in this fast-changing field. Urmson previously led the Google self-driving project, while Bagnell was responsible for Uber’s autonomy and perception team before joining Anderson at Aurora.
In his statement about his departure, Anderson made clear the challenge of his choice.
“Leaving Aurora is one of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever made, especially given the exciting stage Aurora is at.” – Sterling Anderson
Anderson is departing Aurora to assume a senior leadership role at an as-yet undisclosed globally iconic company. He explained that the timing of his departure is such that it coincides with Aurora hitting a critical inflection point in its growth.
“This is precisely what gave me the confidence that now is the right time. Aurora has reached a critical inflection point; product strategy is firmly established. The technology is on the road, the team is in place to scale it, and the momentum we’ve created in the industry is palpable.” – Sterling Anderson
The launch of Aurora’s self-driving truck service in Texas occurred just ahead of its self-imposed deadline, showcasing the company’s progress and commitment to advancing autonomous technology. This accomplishment is an indicator of Aurora’s amazing evolution. It signals the completion of the company’s journey from startup to public company after the merger with Reinvent Technology Partners Y.
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