During a 40-minute interview at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference, Vogt defended his company against the regulatory backlash from SF and California lawmakers. He argued that if safety in cities is a priority, autonomous vehicles should be welcomed, not hindered. The interview comes amidst a challenging period for Cruise and other self-driving car companies like Google-owned Waymo, as they navigate regulatory hurdles and public safety concerns.
Key takeaways:
- Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt has publicly responded to the DMV's decision to cut their San Francisco fleet in half, stating that "we cannot expect perfection" from self-driving cars.
- Vogt has hinted at the possibility of leaving San Francisco if regulators continue to impose further restrictions on their operations.
- The California DMV's decision came after a series of incidents involving Cruise's self-driving cars, including stalling incidents, multiple accidents, and a motion filed by SF City Attorney David Chiu to reverse the CPUC's approval of their operations.
- Despite regulatory pushback, Vogt believes that autonomous vehicles should be welcomed for the sake of safety in cities, and suggests that society should be "rolling out the red carpet for AVs".