Dara Khosrowshahi is stepping down from the board of Aurora Innovation, an autonomous vehicle technology company. In a regulatory filing on Friday, Khosrowshahi mentioned his focus on his role as CEO of Uber and his decision to reduce external board commitments as reasons for his resignation.
Khosrowshahi officially resigned from the board on Tuesday. Aurora clarified that his departure was not due to any disagreements with the company.
The connection between Uber’s chief executive and Aurora goes back to 2020 when Uber transferred its self-driving unit, Uber ATG, to Aurora. This deal involved Uber giving Aurora its equity in ATG and investing $400 million in the company, resulting in a 26% stake. As part of this transaction, Khosrowshahi joined Aurora’s board.
Despite the transfer of its self-driving unit, Uber continued its partnership with Aurora through Uber Freight, which connects shippers and carriers. In June, Uber and Aurora announced a collaboration to deploy trucks using Aurora’s technology on the Uber Freight network.
While Uber has a relationship with Aurora, it also has a deal with Waabi, a self-driving truck startup founded by Raquel Urtasun, who previously worked at Uber ATG.
Replacing Khosrowshahi on Aurora’s board is Shailen Bhatt, who is currently the senior vice president and chief operating officer for AtkinsRéalis and has experience working with the Federal Highway Administration.
Khosrowshahi’s decision to resign from the board follows Aurora’s general counsel Nolan Shenai’s announcement to step down in January 2025. Ossa Fisher, Aurora’s president, will assume Shenai’s responsibilities while the company looks for a replacement.
Updates have been made to this article to include details about Aurora’s new board member and recent executive changes.
