Customers of Cruise, General Motors’ (NYSE: GM) self-driving ride-hail unit, reportedly received notices announcing the end of the company’s robotaxi operations. The emails—marked by a mix of gratitude and regret—explained that Cruise would not relaunch its service.
“It is with a mix of gratitude and regret that we share some significant news: Cruise’s robotaxi service is coming to an end; we unfortunately will not be relaunching our ridehail service,” the reported email to Cruise customers wrote.
As Cruise wound down ride-hailing activities, it announced that roughly half of its staff—over 1,000 employees—would be laid off. Among those departing were several top executives, including CEO Marc Whitten and Chief Safety Officer Steve Kenner. At the same time, GM announced it had fully absorbed Cruise, making it a wholly-owned subsidiary.
Soon after the farewell notes went out, it became clear that the service termination was part of a larger restructuring plan. Although GM invested more than $10 billion in Cruise since acquiring most of its shares in 2016, the automaker decided in December 2024 to pull the plug on commercial robotaxis. Instead, resources would be funneled into personal autonomous vehicles and the continued development of GM’s hands-free driver assistance system, Super Cruise.
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The shutdown followed a high-profile incident in October 2023, when a Cruise robotaxi in San Francisco ran over a pedestrian who had been struck by another vehicle moments before. The ensuing investigations revealed that Cruise did not immediately disclose all details to authorities, leading the California DMV to suspend the company’s operating permit.
Cruise’s rapid descent stands in stark contrast to its earlier reputation as one of the front-runners in autonomous technology, competing with Alphabet’s (NASDAQ: GOOGL) Waymo and other well-funded efforts.
“While Cruise robotaxis may no longer roam cities, we couldn’t have done it without you, and the impact of what we’ve built together will be felt for years to come,” Cruise added.
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