Sterling Anderson, co-founder and chief product officer of autonomous trucking startup Aurora, is stepping down from both his executive role and the company’s board of directors just one week after Aurora launched its commercial self-driving truck service in Texas. His resignation from the executive role will officially take effect on June 1, followed by his departure from the board on August 31.
According to details disclosed in a regulatory filing alongside Aurora’s recent first-quarter earnings report, Anderson’s decision is amicable, with the company emphasizing his departure was not related to any issues or disagreements over Aurora’s operations, management policies, or strategic practices. Aurora’s statement highlighted its deep gratitude for Anderson’s substantial contributions as a key executive, co-founder, and board member.
Anderson, a highly regarded industry veteran, previously directed Tesla’s Autopilot initiative before co-founding Aurora in 2017 with CEO Chris Urmson, who had led Google’s influential autonomous car project, and Drew Bagnell from Uber’s autonomy team. From its founding, Aurora garnered significant investor interest from prominent venture firms and corporations such as Sequoia Capital, Amazon, and T. Rowe Price Associates, swiftly establishing a slate of high-profile partnerships.
In December 2020, Aurora significantly expanded its market position by acquiring Uber’s autonomous driving division, Uber ATG—then valued at approximately $7.25 billion—in an equity swap deal that also included a $400 million investment from Uber. The transaction left Uber with a 26 percent stake in Aurora and propelled the combined company’s valuation to a reported $10 billion.
By late 2021, Aurora transitioned from a promising startup into a publicly traded firm through a Special Purpose Acquisition Company (SPAC) merger with Reinvent Technology Partners Y, a venture backed by LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and Zynga founder Mark Pincus.
Anderson himself has not yet provided public comments regarding his future plans or reasons for exiting Aurora at this crucial juncture in the startup’s commercial expansion.
