Cruise

In February 2025, autonomous vehicle company Cruise announced a massive workforce reduction, laying off nearly 50% of its employees. This drastic cut, affecting over 1,000 people from a base of approximately 2,100, came as parent company General Motors slashed funding for Cruise's robotaxi operations. The strategic shift moves the remaining operations under GM to focus on developing its Super Cruise driver-assistance system and future personal autonomous vehicles, leading to the departure of the CEO and several top executives. This marks a significant retrenchment in the competitive transportation and AV industry.

Cruise, the self-driving car subsidiary of General Motors, laid off 900 employees in December 2023, representing 24% of its then 3,800-person workforce. This major restructuring aimed to slash costs and revamp the company following a severe safety incident in October where a pedestrian was struck and dragged by a Cruise robotaxi. The layoffs primarily targeted non-engineering roles in field operations, commercial operations, and corporate staffing, as the company refocused its strategy to rebuild its service cautiously in one city. The announcement was made via a company-wide email from the new president and CTO, with affected workers receiving severance packages including extended pay and benefits.

Cruise, the autonomous vehicle subsidiary of General Motors, laid off approximately 150 employees, representing about 8 percent of its workforce, in May 2020. The job cuts, which affected recruiting, product, design, and business strategy roles, were implemented to reduce costs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite having significant funding and a high valuation, the company chose to streamline operations and focus more intensively on its engineering efforts, reflecting broader challenges and workforce reductions within the self-driving car industry at the time.