Uber’s Costly Exit From Self-Driving Car Business: The Information’s Tech Briefing

Uber finally unloaded its self-driving car unit, after five years and the expenditure of $2.5 billion. As The Information noted in an in-depth article in late September, that effort had produced a car that couldn’t drive more than half a mile without encountering a problem.

The final bill is even higher. Uber is investing $400 million in Aurora, the startup that is buying the unit. It’s not an ideal way to sell an asset—you're meant to receive money by giving up control of a business. But at least the ride-hailing giant has got the money pit off its books, just in time for renewed pandemic lockdowns to crunch its business again.