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I’m concerned about the timing of this. Former CEO Dan Ammann, fired in December, was a big champion of the robotaxi business model. It is speculated he was

I’m concerned about the timing of this. Former CEO Dan Ammann, fired in December, was a big champion of the robotaxi business model. It is speculated he was fired because GM CEO Mary Barra disagrees with this strategy and wants them to focus more on integration with existing GM vehicles. I am afraid that the robotaxi timeline was pulled in so that the rest of the believers inside Cruise can get supporting data to prove it’s a viable model and to make it harder for Mary to change its course. This may come at the expense of safety.

nichochar 5y ago
[Disclaimer] I work for cruise. Safety is the most critical value that our company has, and we live it every day in all of our processes / culture. I won't comment on the executive changes, but I can guarantee that this company (unlike some rivals...) would never compromise safety in any decision.
- more_corn 5y ago
  I once threw myself in front of a cruise vehicle to test it for safety. (That’s a bit of an exaggeration, I saw it coming, sped up and jumped into an open parking spot on a trajectory that would take me in front of I didn’t stop) It performed admirably. The safety driver didn’t see me coming but the computer did. The car decelerated to the point it would be able to stop if I kept coming. The safety driver couldn’t figure out what was happening at first. He was PISSED when he figured it out. Having done that and having never seen one commit an error or safety infraction, I now have a high degree of trust in the safety of cruise vehicles.
  - more_corn 5y ago
    Contrast this to the catastrophic self driving test Uber did on the streets of San Francisco before their cars got thrown out of California.
  - kfarr 5y ago
    Can confirm from personal experience in crosswalks with self driving cars: cruise is the most timid (read safest!) of the self driving cars being tested in SF IMHO. Cruise will proactively alter trajectory (such as deceleration) for pedestrians and cyclists at a noticeably earlier threshold than Waymo. This is much more pleasant for everyone surrounding the vehicle as it clearly expresses that you have been recognized as a being needing space.
    - dont__panic 5y ago
      Urban bicyclist here. I don't life in SF, but I'm really curious how current autonomous vehicles behave around cars. If you're biking down a one-way street with little room, do most autonomous vehicles just wait behind you? Do they try to pass? What kind of follow distance would they give a bicyclist who "dominates" the lane because it's too narrow to let a car pass safely?
      - redler 5y ago
        As a fellow cyclist who must be vigilant in defending against frequently bad behavioral answers to these questions from human drivers, I’d love to know how any self-driving system approaches them.
      - kfarr 5y ago
        I haven’t had this exact scenario you describe. In many cases in SF it is you passing them, not the other way around. Cruise gets confused in intersections sometimes, esp in the presence of unexpected cyclists and pedestrians. Their error state is to freeze. Then of course very easy to get around them. I also notice if I close pass the vehicle, they will brake or adjust course to varying degrees depending on street conditions and which tech stack. I have never witnessed a self driving car exhibiting aggressive behavior towards cyclists or pedestrians. I have witnessed many humans driving cars exhibiting aggressive behavior.
      - cblconfederate 5y ago
        are there narrow streets in america?
- ywoski 5y ago
  Hi Nicholas , Long time! Yeah Cruise definitely seems to be moving with safety in mind. Props to the team for this milestone!
belter 5y ago
"Cruise CEO to step down as GM accelerates self-driving car plans" https://www.engadget.com/cruise-ceo-to-step-down-as-gm-accelerates-self-driving-car-plans-221238170.html https://www.engadget.com/cruise-ceo-to-step-down-as-gm-accel... "GM’s Barra Dismissed Cruise CEO Ammann Over Mission, IPO Timing" https://www.reddit.com/r/wallstreetbets/comments/rk0v7h/gms_barra_dismissed_cruise_ceo_ammann_over/ https://www.reddit.com/r/wallstreetbets/comments/rk0v7h/gms_...
ironmagma 5y ago
I wouldn't read too much into firings at Cruise. Working there was like a company-sized game of "The Weakest Link". Anyone worth their salt gets fired eventually, it's just the way they operate.
- jonny_eh 5y ago
  > Anyone worth their salt gets fired eventually, Isn't The Weakest Link about firing the worst performers?
  - ironmagma 5y ago
    Based on just a few mistakes and a poll and where a firing happens approximately every 5 minutes.
  - tialaramex 5y ago
    It's a gameshow. You win by being in the last two people and getting more questions right. So, you need to be better than at least one person and then eliminate other competitors. Being "The Strongest Link" just makes you a target for everybody who suspects they can't beat you in that final head-to-head round. So the game can resolve to two devious but not-so-bright people who've schemed their way to the final two, and then one of them gets lucky with the topics. If you want to watch something where people are just ludicrously good at general knowledge try "Only Connect" (even the title of the show is a relatively lesser known reference) but note they don't win prizes - why would they, they enjoy quizzes, they're not here for the money anyway.
- thehappypm 5y ago
  Super cool comment. Got any proof or evidence or anything?
  - ironmagma 5y ago
    Just read through the negative reviews on Glassdoor. https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Cruise-Reviews-E977351.htm https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Cruise-Reviews-E977351.htm “Churn” is not an uncommon word.
pm90 5y ago
I fear this also. It seems like the former CEO wanted to go public so the employees would get liquidity but the GM CEO disagreed. This seems like a political effort (perhaps not fully) to show that Cruise can generate a lot of revenue, and then make the case to focus on its self driving taxi business rather than serving GM exclusively. I guess time will tell. I only hope that the worst thing to happen would be lost money or ego and not lives.

nichochar 5y ago

[Disclaimer] I work for cruise. Safety is the most critical value that our company has, and we live it every day in all of our processes / culture. I won't comment on the executive changes, but I can guarantee that this company (unlike some rivals...) would never compromise safety in any decision.

more_corn 5y ago
I once threw myself in front of a cruise vehicle to test it for safety. (That’s a bit of an exaggeration, I saw it coming, sped up and jumped into an open parking spot on a trajectory that would take me in front of I didn’t stop) It performed admirably. The safety driver didn’t see me coming but the computer did. The car decelerated to the point it would be able to stop if I kept coming. The safety driver couldn’t figure out what was happening at first. He was PISSED when he figured it out. Having done that and having never seen one commit an error or safety infraction, I now have a high degree of trust in the safety of cruise vehicles.
- more_corn 5y ago
  Contrast this to the catastrophic self driving test Uber did on the streets of San Francisco before their cars got thrown out of California.
- kfarr 5y ago
  Can confirm from personal experience in crosswalks with self driving cars: cruise is the most timid (read safest!) of the self driving cars being tested in SF IMHO. Cruise will proactively alter trajectory (such as deceleration) for pedestrians and cyclists at a noticeably earlier threshold than Waymo. This is much more pleasant for everyone surrounding the vehicle as it clearly expresses that you have been recognized as a being needing space.
  - dont__panic 5y ago
    Urban bicyclist here. I don't life in SF, but I'm really curious how current autonomous vehicles behave around cars. If you're biking down a one-way street with little room, do most autonomous vehicles just wait behind you? Do they try to pass? What kind of follow distance would they give a bicyclist who "dominates" the lane because it's too narrow to let a car pass safely?
    - redler 5y ago
      As a fellow cyclist who must be vigilant in defending against frequently bad behavioral answers to these questions from human drivers, I’d love to know how any self-driving system approaches them.
    - kfarr 5y ago
      I haven’t had this exact scenario you describe. In many cases in SF it is you passing them, not the other way around. Cruise gets confused in intersections sometimes, esp in the presence of unexpected cyclists and pedestrians. Their error state is to freeze. Then of course very easy to get around them. I also notice if I close pass the vehicle, they will brake or adjust course to varying degrees depending on street conditions and which tech stack. I have never witnessed a self driving car exhibiting aggressive behavior towards cyclists or pedestrians. I have witnessed many humans driving cars exhibiting aggressive behavior.
    - cblconfederate 5y ago
      are there narrow streets in america?
ywoski 5y ago
Hi Nicholas , Long time! Yeah Cruise definitely seems to be moving with safety in mind. Props to the team for this milestone!

belter 5y ago

"Cruise CEO to step down as GM accelerates self-driving car plans" https://www.engadget.com/cruise-ceo-to-step-down-as-gm-accelerates-self-driving-car-plans-221238170.html https://www.engadget.com/cruise-ceo-to-step-down-as-gm-accel... "GM’s Barra Dismissed Cruise CEO Ammann Over Mission, IPO Timing" https://www.reddit.com/r/wallstreetbets/comments/rk0v7h/gms_barra_dismissed_cruise_ceo_ammann_over/ https://www.reddit.com/r/wallstreetbets/comments/rk0v7h/gms_...

ironmagma 5y ago

I wouldn't read too much into firings at Cruise. Working there was like a company-sized game of "The Weakest Link". Anyone worth their salt gets fired eventually, it's just the way they operate.

jonny_eh 5y ago
> Anyone worth their salt gets fired eventually, Isn't The Weakest Link about firing the worst performers?
- ironmagma 5y ago
  Based on just a few mistakes and a poll and where a firing happens approximately every 5 minutes.
- tialaramex 5y ago
  It's a gameshow. You win by being in the last two people and getting more questions right. So, you need to be better than at least one person and then eliminate other competitors. Being "The Strongest Link" just makes you a target for everybody who suspects they can't beat you in that final head-to-head round. So the game can resolve to two devious but not-so-bright people who've schemed their way to the final two, and then one of them gets lucky with the topics. If you want to watch something where people are just ludicrously good at general knowledge try "Only Connect" (even the title of the show is a relatively lesser known reference) but note they don't win prizes - why would they, they enjoy quizzes, they're not here for the money anyway.
thehappypm 5y ago
Super cool comment. Got any proof or evidence or anything?
- ironmagma 5y ago
  Just read through the negative reviews on Glassdoor. https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Cruise-Reviews-E977351.htm https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Cruise-Reviews-E977351.htm “Churn” is not an uncommon word.

pm90 5y ago

I fear this also. It seems like the former CEO wanted to go public so the employees would get liquidity but the GM CEO disagreed. This seems like a political effort (perhaps not fully) to show that Cruise can generate a lot of revenue, and then make the case to focus on its self driving taxi business rather than serving GM exclusively. I guess time will tell. I only hope that the worst thing to happen would be lost money or ego and not lives.