After startup is before startup: what are the founders of Argo AI doing now?
The founders of the now closed start-up Argo AI, which specialized in autonomous vehicles and was backed by Ford and Volkswagen, have launched a new company. This focuses on autonomous truck transport and ride-hailing services and is based in Pittsburgh in the US state of Pennsylvania.
So far, the name of the company is not publicly known. The company is led by former Argo AI founders Bryan Salesky and Pete Rander and employs between 40 and 50 people. Autonomous vehicle technology has proven extremely complex and has slowed progress in this area. Another problem is the business model, which is based on high sales to finance further development. That was the reason for the end of the former startup: the research costs became too high.
VW uses now Mobileye-Technology and sticks to the plans that one up 2026 wants to offer autonomously driving vehicles. It remains to be seen whether the vehicles will actually have the fourth degree of autonomy.
Because of this, the new company is focusing on trucking and ride-hailing services, where potential efficiency and cost savings could make the technology more viable. The new company is taking on Alphabet’s Waymo, GM’s Cruise and several smaller autonomous technology startups.
However, it seems that the automakers’ race to develop autonomous driving has calmed down. They may wait to see who has the right technology and then license it for their own vehicles. The German manufacturer Mercedes Benz is no longer researching autonomous driving for cars, but is still involved in the USA and Germany Torc in the automation of trucks.