Aurora Co-founder Sterling Anderson Announces Resignation
Sterling Anderson, co-founder and Chief Product Officer of autonomous vehicle company Aurora, is resigning. His departure comes just a week after Aurora launched its commercial self-driving truck service in Texas.
Anderson's resignation, effective June 1st, was disclosed in a regulatory filing alongside Aurora's first-quarter earnings report. He will remain on the board until August 31st. The filing stated that his departure was not due to any disagreement with the company's operations, policies, or practices.
During Aurora's earnings call, it was shared that Anderson is pursuing a senior leadership role at another company. While unavailable for direct comment, Anderson addressed his departure during the call:
Leaving Aurora is one of the most difficult decisions I’ve ever made, especially given the exciting stage Aurora is at. This is precisely what gave me the confidence that now is the right time. Aurora has reached a critical inflection point; product strategy is firmly established. The technology is on the road, the team is in place to scale it, and the momentum we’ve created in the industry is palpable.
Anderson co-founded Aurora in 2017 with CEO Chris Urmson, formerly of Google's self-driving project, and Drew Bagnell, formerly of Uber's autonomy and perception team. Their combined experience helped attract significant investment and partnerships.
In 2020, Aurora acquired Uber's self-driving unit, Uber ATG, in a deal that valued the combined company at $10 billion. This acquisition further solidified Aurora's position in the autonomous vehicle industry.
Aurora went public in 2021 through a merger with a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC). The company has primarily focused on self-driving trucks, recently achieving a key milestone with the Texas launch.
Despite the recent success, Aurora, like many deep tech companies, faces challenges as it continues to develop its technology and work towards generating consistent revenue.
