According to the company, autonomous delivery robot startup Nuro will lay off 30%, or about 340 employees, across the company as part of a reorganization to expand its capital base.
Earlier this week, Nuro co-founders Dave Ferguson and Jiajun Zhu announced explained in a blog post that the company would be downsizing and shifting resources from commercial operations to research and development. Nuro will pause plans to ramp up commercial operations this year and delay mass production of its Nuro-Bot – the third-generation (R3) delivery robot designed to be the flagship of its commercial strategy. According to Ferguson and Zhu, these changes will allow Nuro to operate twice as long, giving him enough capital to operate for another three years without raising more money.
This is the second time in less than a year that Nuro — a darling of the AV world who has raised $2.13 billion — has fired workers to cut costs and expand capital reserves. In November, Nuro laid off about 300 employees, or 20% of its workforce.
Laid-off employees will receive 12 weeks plus severance pay two additional weeks for employees with two or more years of service. Eligible employees also receive 62.5% of target bonus (prorated for new hires) or payment of spring bonus amounts for semi-annual performance bonuses. The company will also provide health care and support for visa-holders through September 30.
