CEO of Waymo John Krafcik is leaving

#1

Post by mgreg » Fri, Apr 02, 2021, 5:54 PM UTC

CEO of Waymo John Krafcik is leaving
blog.waymo.com

Re: CEO of Waymo John Krafcik is leaving

#2

Post by bertil » Fri, Apr 02, 2021, 6:13 PM UTC

Am I the only one to read like an acknowledgement that Waymo didn’t achieve what it was supposed to do and he was asked to go for lack of performance?

Re: CEO of Waymo John Krafcik is leaving

#3

Post by RcouF1uZ4gsC » Fri, Apr 02, 2021, 6:17 PM UTC

I hear Anthony Levandowski is available, having been pardoned by Trump in his last day in office on January 20, 2021.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Levandowski#Criminal_c...

Re: CEO of Waymo John Krafcik is leaving

#4

Post by andrewcl » Fri, Apr 02, 2021, 6:18 PM UTC

bertil wrote: post #2

Am I the only one to read like an acknowledgement that Waymo didn’t achieve what it was supposed to do and he was asked to go for lack of performance?

The CEO lists several accomplishments in the press brief. It doesn't appear to say that he's being let go specifically for performance concerns.

Re: CEO of Waymo John Krafcik is leaving

#5

Post by Judgmentality » Fri, Apr 02, 2021, 6:18 PM UTC

bertil wrote: post #2

Am I the only one to read like an acknowledgement that Waymo didn’t achieve what it was supposed to do and he was asked to go for lack of performance?

I read it as a state of self-driving cars in general. The technology isn't developing as fast as people had hoped. Waymo is still in the lead, even if this guy failed to deliver (he announced Waymo would be a public service for 2018, and that obviously didn't happen).

Re: CEO of Waymo John Krafcik is leaving

#6

Post by endisneigh » Fri, Apr 02, 2021, 6:19 PM UTC

That's sad.

I must be the only one who thinks full self driving will not happen before year 2100. Is there an example of anything that's completely automated that's dangerous? I cannot think of a single thing. At best things are partially automated and need humans still.

The thing is, if you have "partial" self driving, you might as well just drive yourself IMHO. The consequence of being wrong with a car is literally your life. I know people like comparing this with airplanes, trains, or the elevator, but cars in the USA is just too chaotic an environment. It's nothing like any of those.

Re: CEO of Waymo John Krafcik is leaving

#7

Post by SilasX » Fri, Apr 02, 2021, 6:20 PM UTC

bertil wrote: post #2

Am I the only one to read like an acknowledgement that Waymo didn’t achieve what it was supposed to do and he was asked to go for lack of performance?

No, he wants to spend more time with friends and family and travel the world.

Re: CEO of Waymo John Krafcik is leaving

#8

Post by mrpippy » Fri, Apr 02, 2021, 6:20 PM UTC

It'll be interesting to see where he goes next and if any info comes out about why he's leaving.

Brief summary of his jobs:

  - NUMMI (GM/Toyota), 1984-1986
  - MIT, 1986-1990
  - Ford, 1990-2004
  - Hyundai America, 2004-2013, left as president/CEO
  - TrueCar, 2014-2015
  - Google/Waymo, 2015-2021

Re: CEO of Waymo John Krafcik is leaving

#9

Post by rajrkrish » Fri, Apr 02, 2021, 6:20 PM UTC

RcouF1uZ4gsC wrote: post #3

I hear Anthony Levandowski is available, having been pardoned by Trump in his last day in office on January 20, 2021. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthony_Levandowski#Criminal_c...

I don't think neither google nor uber would want him back.

Re: CEO of Waymo John Krafcik is leaving

#10

Post by stefan_ » Fri, Apr 02, 2021, 6:21 PM UTC

andrewcl wrote: post #4

bertil wrote: post #2

Am I the only one to read like an acknowledgement that Waymo didn’t achieve what it was supposed to do and he was asked to go for lack of performance?

The CEO lists several accomplishments in the press brief. It doesn't appear to say that he's being let go specifically for performance concerns.

Well, they never say that. I personally think it's because of that horrendous "Waymonauts" moniker.