Lyft has “no plans to slow down [its] self-driving programs,” said David Baga, Chief Business Officer of the ride-hailing app. “We remain focused on our self-driving program, so we continue to develop, and test, and eventually deploy self-driving,” he told Cheddar Thursday. His comments come in light of Uber’s fatal driverless car crash in Arizona last week, which forced that company to hit the brakes on all its autonomous testing. Nvidia and Toyota paused their programs, too. The Uber incident, thought to be the first involving a self-driving vehicle, also sparked a wide-ranging debate about whether the entire industry needs more oversight. Ironically, though, Waymo, the self-driving unit of Google parent Alphabet, took the opportunity to jump further into its autonomous business, announcing a collaboration with Jaguar Land Rover this week to roll out driverless SUVs by 2020. Jaguar’s Product Planning Manager Dave Larsen [reiterated](https://cheddar.com/videos/jaguar-exec-waymos-technology-would-have-avoided-ubers-fatal-crash) his faith that Waymo’s technology and software “would’ve been able to avoid” the tragedy that involved Uber’s car. - **Related:** [Watch](https://cheddar.com/videos/first-look-at-the-waymo-powered-jaguar-i-pace-suv) Jaguar’s Dave Larsen give Cheddar a first look at the Waymo-powered I-PACE at the New York International Auto Show. For its part, Lyft dove into the autonomous industry last year when it announced it will start creating the technology in-house. Prior to that, the company was working with third-parties like Ford and Boston-based nuTonomy, essentially offloading the larger costs of the projects. Driverless tech aside, Lyft is also gaining ground on its main rival in the core ride-hailing business. As Uber has faced one scandal after another, Lyft is picking up the slack. Its Business unit saw share of the corporate travel space rise to more than 18 percent in the fourth quarter, compared to 7.7 percent the year before. It also expects to hit a $1 billion run rate for revenue by the end of the year. For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/lyft-cbo-no-plans-to-slow-down-self-driving-technology).

Share:
More In Business
Starbucks’ Change Flushes Out a Debate Over Public Restroom Access
Starbucks’ decision to restrict its restrooms to paying customers has flushed out a wider problem: a patchwork of restroom use policies that varies by state and city. Starbucks announced last week a new code of conduct that says people need to make a purchase if they want to hang out or use the restroom. The coffee chain's policy change for bathroom privileges has left Americans confused and divided over who gets to go and when. The American Restroom Association, a public toilet advocacy group, was among the critics. Rules about restroom access in restaurants vary by state, city and county. The National Retail Federation says private businesses have a right to limit restroom use.
Trump Highlights Partnership Investing $500 Billion in AI
President Donald Trump is talking up a joint venture investing up to $500 billion for infrastructure tied to artificial intelligence by a new partnership formed by OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank. The new entity, Stargate, will start building out data centers and the electricity generation needed for the further development of the fast-evolving AI in Texas, according to the White House. The initial investment is expected to be $100 billion and could reach five times that sum. While Trump has seized on similar announcements to show that his presidency is boosting the economy, there were already expectations of a massive buildout of data centers and electricity plants needed for the development of AI.
Load More