Alphabet Inc’s self-driving unit Waymo is seeing the departure of two more key executives, a little over a month after CEO John Krafcik’s exit in April, Techcrunch reportedon Wednesday.
What Happened:The California-based company’s Chief Financial Officer Ger Dwyer and Adam Frost, head of automotive partnerships and corporate development, are leaving the self-driving startup this month, according to the report.
Several senior executives have left the startup over the last five months including its Chief Safety Officer Deborah Hersmanm who left Waymo in December and Tim Willis, who was head of manufacturing and global supply and general manager of Waymo’s Laser Bear lidar business, left the company in February.
Sherry House, previously treasurer and head of investor relations at Waymo,has joined Lucid Motorsas its finance chief. Lucid is set to go public in a merger with SPAC Churchill Capital Corp IV.
Why It Matters: Waymo, regarded as a leader in autonomous vehicle development,namedTekedra Mawakana and Dmitri Dolgov co-CEOs after Krafcik stepped down from the position.
Waymo hasapplied for commercial permitsin San Francisco, as reported by Reuters, to begin charging for rides and delivery using autonomous vehicles seen as a big step and test for the two companies in a dense suburban setup.
Waymo has dismissed Elon Musk-led Tesla Inc.'s efforts in the development of self-driving technology, with Krafcikearlier saying,“for us, Tesla is not a competitor at all.”
Price Action:Alphabet Class A shares closed 3.08% lower at $2,200.05 on Wednesday.