In June 2024, GM injected another $850 million into Cruise, bringing its total spend on the company since acquiring most of Cruise’s shares in 2016 close to $10 billion. In September, Elshenawy, president and chief technologist of Cruise, threw a huge party for Cruise staffers that some read to be a sign that the company was moving forward.

General Motors is laying off roughly half its employees who remain at its discontinued Cruise robotaxi business. The plans come two months after GM said it would no longer fund Cruise after spending more than $10 billion on the robotaxi unit since acquiring it in 2016.

Several of Cruise’s leaders, including Chief Executive Officer Marc Whitten, will leave this week in the overhaul.

GM is laying off roughly 1,000 employees at its Cruise autonomous vehicle unit, cutting nearly 50% of its workforce.

The robotaxi business is largely being abandoned in favor of autonomous technology for personal vehicles—specifically, GM’s Super Cruise system, which it has installed in many of its newer models. GM’s shift to Super Cruise is two-fold: First and foremost,

General Motors' Cruise robotaxi unit laid off approximately half its workforce Tuesday, as the automaker completed a previously announced plan to buy out remaining investors and refocus on self-driving cars for individual owners.