Amazon and Zoox recently announced a signed agreement for Amazon to acquire Zoox, a company that specializes in the design of autonomous ride-hailing vehicles. According to the agreement, Aicha Evans, Zoox CEO, and Jesse Levinson, Zoox co-founder and CTO, will continue to lead the company as a standalone business.
“Zoox is working to imagine, invent, and design a world-class autonomous ride-hailing experience,” said Jeff Wilke, Amazon’s CEO, Worldwide Consumer. “Like Amazon, Zoox is passionate about innovation and about its customers, and we’re excited to help the talented Zoox team to bring their vision to reality in the years ahead.”
“This acquisition solidifies Zoox’s impact on the autonomous driving industry,” Evans added. “We have made great strides with our purpose-built approach to safe, autonomous mobility, and our exceptionally talented team is working every day to realize that vision. We now have an even greater opportunity to realize a fully autonomous future.”
Zoox, a California-based company, was established in 2014 with a focus on purpose-built, zero-emissions vehicles designed for autonomous ride-hailing, along with an end-to-end autonomy software stack. “Since Zoox’s inception six years ago, we have been singularly focused on our ground-up approach to autonomous mobility,” Levinson said. “Amazon’s support will markedly accelerate our path to delivering safe, clean, and enjoyable transportation to the world.”
Completion of this transaction is subject to customary closing conditions. Industry sources say the deal was worth 1.2 billion.
