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Former Cruise CEO launches robotics firm with ex-Tesla AI manager

Image Credit: Cruise/Twitter

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The former CEO and co-founder of General Motors (GM) self-driving unit Cruise has launched a new robotics firm, after stepping down from Cruise following an accident in October.

Kyle Vogt, the former Cruise CEO and co-founder who resigned in November, announced The Bot Company in a post on LinkedIn on Monday. Vogt started the robotics company with Luke Holoubek, a former Technical Advisor for Cruise, and Paril Jain, who was previously a Tech Lead and Manager in artificial intelligence (AI) at Tesla and was with the company for seven years.

Tesla shares video of Optimus autonomously sorting battery cells

“I’m back to building! Excited to share I’ve started a company with Paril Jain and Luke Holoubek. We’re building bots that do chores so you don’t have to” Vogt wrote in the post. “Everyone is busy. Bots can help.

“So many things compete for our time – commutes, longer working hours, and the complexities of modern life. Our team has spent years building robots (including the self-driving kind) that give people some of that time back, and we’re taking that a step further with this company.”

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Along with the announcement, Vogt says the company has raised $150 million from investors and entrepreneurs, adding that more details about the company would be announced soon.

Jain also announced his departure from Tesla in a repost of Vogt’s original announcement, saying that he was “super pumped for the next phase of building.”

“As for Tesla – it has been an incredible 7 years building the best self driving product on the market,” Jain wrote. “You’ll love the upcoming versions of V12 and Actually Smart Summon. The team is on an amazing trajectory to continue pushing forward more improvements on the road to being driverless.”

The new company has started a website, on which it states the following mission:

“We’re building robots that give you time back. Everyone is busy. Bots can help.”

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Vogt helped found Cruise in 2013, and the company was later acquired by GM in 2016. The company had been operating driverless ride-sharing vehicles in San Francisco, California, last year, until one of its self-driving vehicles ran over and pinned a pedestrian in October.

Immediately following the accident, the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) suspended Cruise’s license to operate self-driving vehicles. In November, Vogt and another co-founder resigned, and the company later went on to announce it was cutting 24 percent of staff, while several other leaders were terminated.

What are your thoughts? Let me know at zach@teslarati.com, find me on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.

Zach is a renewable energy reporter who has been covering electric vehicles since 2020. He grew up in Fremont, California, and he currently lives in Colorado. His work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, KRON4 San Francisco, FOX31 Denver, InsideEVs, CleanTechnica, and many other publications. When he isn't covering Tesla or other EV companies, you can find him writing and performing music, drinking a good cup of coffee, or hanging out with his cats, Banks and Freddie. Reach out at zach@teslarati.com, find him on X at @zacharyvisconti, or send us tips at tips@teslarati.com.

Elon Musk

Tesla to ramp to 500 Robotaxis in Austin, 1,000 in Bay Area, by end of 2025: Musk

This was, at least, as per recent comments from CEO Elon Musk during his appearance on the All-In podcast.

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Credit: Tesla

Tesla’s Robotaxi pilot is still in its early stages, but it seems like the program in Austin and the Bay Area will see a notable update soon. This was, at least, as per recent comments from CEO Elon Musk during his appearance on the All-In podcast. 

Robotaxi expansion

While discussing Tesla’s Robotaxi ambitions, Elon Musk shared some tidbits about the company’s targets for the autonomous ride-hailing program. As per Musk, Tesla is pushing to increase its Robotaxi fleet size in Austin to 500 units. The Robotaxi fleet in the Bay Area will also be increased to 1,000 units. These expansions are expected to be accomplished by the end of the year.

“We’re scaling up the number of cars to, what happens if you have a thousand cars? Probably we’ll have a thousands cars or more in the Bay Area by the end of this year, probably 500 or more in the greater Austin area,” Musk said in the podcast. 

Considering that there are only two months left in the fourth quarter of 2025, Tesla’s Robotaxi team will likely be extremely busy during the next eight weeks. A successful expansion of the Robotaxi pilot in Austin and the Bay Area will also bode well for the company’s ride-hailing program, which has been pretty conservative as of late.

Musk’s Robotaxi comments

Elon Musk has been pretty clear in the past that Tesla’s FSD and Robotaxi network would play a huge role in the company’s future valuation and potential. Thus, during the third quarter earnings call, Musk highlighted that Tesla will also be transitioning to a system with no safety monitors in Austin by the end of the year. 

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“We are expecting to have no safety drivers in at least large parts of Austin by the end of this year. So within a few months, we expect to have no safety drivers at all in at least parts of Austin. We’re obviously being very cautious about the deployment,” Musk said during the Q3 2025 earnings call.

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Elon Musk

Neuralink’s first patient could receive an upgrade: Elon Musk

Musk stated that Arbaugh could also be the first Neuralink patient to receive an upgrade.

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Credit: Neuralink

Neuralink’s first human patient might be in line for a very interesting development in the future.

Based on recent comments from Elon Musk, Neuralink seems to be considering an “upgrade” for its first human patient, allowing him to perform even more sophisticated tasks using only his mind. 

Elon Musk’s recent comments

Musk’s update came as a reply to an X post that featured some details about the current activities of Noland Arbaugh, the first person in the world to receive a Neuralink implant. Since receiving his implant, Arbaugh has been able to take back his life, and he now games, attends class, and even works as a paid speaker. 

In his response, Musk stated that Arbaugh could also be the first Neuralink patient to receive an upgrade. “Noland might be the first to receive a Neuralink upgrade and/or dual Neuralink implant to further augment his abilities. It won’t be long before a Neuralink recipient can beat most and eventually all humans at fast reaction video games,” Musk wrote in a post on X.

Noland’s recent update

Noland actually provided a quick update about his life with his Neuralink implant, which he fondly named Eve, on X. He noted that his direct involvement with Neuralink has lessened as more participants have joined the company’s human trials. And despite a recent pressure sore setback, he remains optimistic and teased “big news” coming for his two-year update in early 2026.

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Beyond his recovery, Arbaugh stated that Neuralink has made everyday goals achievable again. He is currently studying neuroscience, taking chemistry, biology, and pre-calculus and maintaining good grades, something he said would have been impossible without Neuralink.

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Tesla Cybercab almost looks production ready in new photos

Tesla’s AI team recently posted an image of the Cybercab going Animal Style at an In-and-Out drive-through.

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Credit: Tesla AI/X

Tesla’s AI team recently posted an image of the Cybercab going Animal Style at an In-and-Out drive-through. But while the Cybercab’s passengers were quite funny, the photos themselves suggest that some of the Cybercab’s components may already be production-ready.

Cybercab goes Animal Style

Seemingly as a fun Halloween post, the Tesla AI team shared a photo of a Cybercab, complete with passengers who were in costume, at an In-and-Out drive through. Based on the photos that were shared on X, it appeared that the Cybrcab was being accompanied by a Tesla Model Y Premium. The Tesla AI team shared a lighthearted caption to the image, writing “Animal Style,” a reference to a popular secret menu item for the fast food chain.

In a way, the Tesla AI team’s Halloween post was a lighthearted reference to the popularity of In-and-Out among Tesla owners. This is partly because of the Tesla Supercharger network, which has numerous locations that are close to In-and-Out sites. Elon Musk has also jokingly confirmed in the past that driving prototype Teslas through an In-and-Out is a tradition and a fun milestone marker.

Apparent production-ready Cybercab sections

While the Tesla AI team’s photos provided some lighthearted fun to the EV community, some industry watchers pointed out that the Cybercab in the photos looked production ready, or at least some parts of it seem to be. This is especially noticeable in the Cybercab’s front end, which looks very refined and well-built. 

The front end of the Cybercab on the In-and-Out photo even had a license plate mount, and previous sightings revealed that the door of the vehicle had been updated since it was unveiled last year.

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With this in mind, speculations are abounding that the Cybercab might indeed be ready for initial production soon. The installation of production equipment in Giga Texas has been ongoing for several months now, and tests of the Cybercab in both the Giga Texas complex and on public roads have also ramped. 

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