The company's shutdown comes just five months after partnering with OpenAI through the OpenAI Startup Fund. Despite having completed a highway driving product and making progress in urban environments, Ghost Autonomy's CEO, John Hayes, stated that the time required to bring the product to market could not be financed. The company is now exploring potential destinations for its team's innovations.
Key takeaways:
- Ghost Autonomy, an autonomous driving software startup, has shut down after raising nearly $220 million. The company had operations in Mountain View, Dallas, and Sydney and employed about 100 people.
- The company had partnered with OpenAI through the OpenAI Startup Fund, receiving a $5 million investment and early access to OpenAI systems and Azure resources from Microsoft.
- Originally named Ghost Locomotion, the startup had shifted its focus over the years from developing a kit for privately owned vehicles to drive autonomously on highways, to focusing on crash prevention technology.
- Despite completing a highway driving product and moving into urban environments, the company's CEO, John Hayes, stated that the years required to bring the product to market could not be financed.