Today we’re excited to announce that Ike has been acquired by Nuro.
Our companies already have a lot in common — shared values, complementary expertise, and technology with the same DNA. Joining forces with Nuro will allow us to move faster on an ambitious mission to make people’s lives better with automated vehicles. We have already begun to work on integration of teams and technology, and we can’t wait for what’s to come in 2021.
We started Ike in 2018 because we saw a unique opportunity to help the logistics industry by automating long haul trucking. We set out on a different path from most AV efforts, by focusing on moving goods, narrowing the technical challenge to highways, and skipping the demos to focus on real progress. Having worked on many new technologies over the years, our team rallied around the vision of getting a safe, reliable, real automation product into the world fast.
Our history with Nuro dates back to Ike’s very beginning. Nuro is applying many of the same principles to a different part of the logistics industry, focusing on local delivery with smaller, low speed vehicles. Together we found a unique opportunity to build on Nuro’s early progress with a license to their core technology. The head start from Nuro has powered a lot of Ike’s progress over the last two years. Jumping ahead with such a strong foundation allowed us to grow our team thoughtfully, walk the walk on safety, and find great partners who believe in the promise of automation.
Meanwhile, we’ve had an inside view as Nuro has emerged as an industry leader. They have accomplished an astounding amount since we shared an office in 2018: attracting some of the best talent in the world, building a strong culture, securing massive resources, delivering on technical and regulatory milestones, and finding great partners of their own.
Our teams have always collaborated closely, and the time is now right to join forces formally and accelerate our progress. Nuro has always had ambitious goals, including a mission that goes far beyond local delivery, and they want our help. We’re adding Ike’s exceptional talent, but also have a unique opportunity to integrate much of the technology we’ve built, including Ike’s leadership in systems engineering and our virtual simulation tools.
After years of hard work to fulfill the promise of automated vehicles, we expect 2021 to be an important moment for Nuro and for the world. We are thrilled to start this next chapter of Ike’s journey and help deliver on a shared mission, together.
