Motional

Autonomous vehicle company Motional laid off approximately 550 employees, representing around 40% of its workforce, in a major restructuring effort in May 2024. The cuts affected nearly every team and office, including high-level departures like the COO, and led to the winding down of offices in Milpitas and Venice. This downsizing coincides with the company pausing commercial operations and delaying its robotaxi service launch until 2026, as it aims to conserve capital and refocus on improving its core technology and business model.

In February 2024, Motional, an autonomous vehicle company formed as a joint venture between Hyundai and Aptiv, laid off approximately 5% of its workforce, affecting fewer than 70 employees. The cuts primarily targeted administrative and non-technical roles, with a notable impact in Boston. This reduction, representing the company's second round of layoffs since late 2022, follows Aptiv's decision to cease future capital allocation to the venture, leaving Hyundai as the primary backer. Motional stated the move was part of a resource reallocation to focus on long-term commercial success, including scaling its driverless taxi services and developing next-generation robotaxis, while continuing to hire for critical technical roles. The company operates in the competitive autonomous vehicle industry and had previously indicated funding runway through the end of the first quarter of 2024.

In December 2022, the autonomous vehicle startup Motional, a joint venture between Aptiv and Hyundai, conducted a round of layoffs affecting dozens of employees across its global operations. The company, which employed over 1,500 people at the time, framed the cuts as part of a strategic reallocation of resources to ensure long-term commercial success. This move reflected broader challenges within the AV industry, where high development costs and a difficult funding environment were prompting companies to conserve cash. Motional provided severance and outplacement support to the affected workers while stating its intent to continue hiring for critical roles.