Infighting, ‘Busywork,’ Missed Warnings: How Uber Wasted $2.5 Billion on Self-Driving Cars
After spending billions to develop a self-driving car, Uber is nowhere close to getting a car that can drive reliably for any length of time. Meanwhile, the unit is riven by infighting. Critics question why CEO Dara Khosrowshahi hasn’t held the team accountable.
After five years and an investment of around $2.5 billion, Uber’s effort to build a self-driving car has produced this: a car that can’t drive more than half a mile without encountering a problem. “The car doesn’t drive well” and “struggles with simple routes and simple maneuvers,” said a manager in the unit, in a 1,500-word email sent three weeks ago to Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, warning of the issues.
The self-driving–car unit “has simply failed to evolve and produce meaningful progress in so long that something has to be said before a disaster befalls us,” said the manager in the email, which The Information has seen. The manager—whose identity The Information confirmed—reflects a common belief across Uber that the unit, known as the Advanced Technologies Group, is destined to lose the high-stakes race to its rivals, which have demonstrated a lot more headway, comparatively speaking.