Uber Scales Back Self-Driving Unit in Wake of Crash
*By Justin Chermol*
Uber is laying off more than 100 test drivers in its autonomous car division in Pittsburgh and San Francisco, replacing them with 55 highly-trained drivers known as "mission specialists".
It's an attempt by the ride-hailing company to prove it's serious about safety in its self-driving division after a fatal crash in Tempe, Ariz., last March.
But whether real progress has been made is another story.
"There's the public messaging and there is what is actually happening," said Mark Rechtin, Executive Editor at Motor Trend. "Uber is saying all the right things publicly, but the accident in Arizona has really set them back."
Uber initially suspended all testing of its autonomous driving program after a pedestrian was struck and killed on March 18, but restarted some tests earlier this month.
Former self-driving car operators are eligible to apply for the new roles, which must operate cars on both public roads and private tracks and are expected to give technical feedback to developers.
Rechtin is optimistic about the effort, but still raised concerns.
"We need to make sure whatever Uber does is something that is functional."
David Nelson, Chief Strategist at Belpointe, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he says that Wednesday's market movement shows a rotation back into the industries that were hit hard in January, but says his eyes are firmly fixed on the January CPI data set to be released Thursday.
Earlier this week, Peloton announced a change in its C-suite, with new chief executive Barry McCarthy telling the company's remaining staff in an email that he’s, 'here for the comeback story.' Greg Martin, Co-Founder of Rainmaker Securities, joins Cheddar's Closing Bell where he discusses how difficult are Peloton's challenges will be to overcome, especially after the company recently laid off approximately 20% of its staff.
Ben McMillan, Founder and CIO at IDX Digital Assets, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell, where he discusses the significance of CFTC Chairman Rostin Behnam testifying at Wednesday's Senate Agriculture Committee hearing, and when we could expect to see more regulation in place following the second straight day of congressional hearings on the crypto industry.
Truckers in Canada have blockaded the Ambassador Bridge, the busiest border crossing between Canada and the U.S. protesting a COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Cheddar News spoke with Samir Kapadia, head of trade practice at the Vogal Group, about how this impacts trade between the two countries.
Florists are dreading weekend pickups for this year's Valentine's Day, which lands on a Monday. Christina Stembel, founder and CEO of Farmgirl Flowers joined Cheddar News to discuss the challenges presented by shortages caused by supply chain issues, lack of labor, and climate change and how her company is preparing for this year's holiday. “A Monday delivery is just really hard for small businesses like us," said Stembel. "Larger companies have the scale that some of the large transportation carriers will provide a Sunday pick up for Monday delivery, but for small companies like us, that's not an option. So we have to try to convince people to order early."
Americans placing bets on the Super Bowl is expected to reach a record high due to multiple states legalizing sports gambling. Hana Ostapchuk, the host of Cheddar Bets, joined Baker Machado on Between Bells to discuss the action on the Big Game.
Chipotle posted its quarterly report showing a beat on earnings and revenue. The restaurant chain was able to stay ahead of inflation by raising prices and noted digital sales made up more than 40 percent of overall sales.
