Fourteen years ago, Dave Ferguson embarked on a journey that would profoundly shape the evolution of autonomous mobility. He became part of a small, pioneering group of roughly twelve engineers tasked with building the foundational technologies behind Google’s ambitious self-driving car project—what the world now knows as Waymo. Over a decade later, Ferguson finds himself at the forefront of an industry he helped create, preparing to challenge the very company that served as his professional springboard.
On Wednesday, Ferguson’s current company, Nuro, which he co-founded in 2016 with Jiajun (JZ) Zhu—another alumnus of Google’s self-driving efforts—announced an ambitious plan: the deployment of a fleet of robotaxis in San Francisco by next year. This initiative represents not only a technological achievement but also a full-circle moment for Ferguson, who now competes directly with Waymo’s autonomous vehicles operating in the same city.
Nuro’s strategy is built on collaboration. The company has entered a strategic partnership with Uber to design and operate a fleet of self-driving vehicles based on Lucid’s forthcoming Gravity SUV. By integrating Nuro’s autonomous systems with Lucid’s high-end electric platform, the companies aim to create a premium yet scalable robotaxi experience that caters to multiple segments of Uber’s user base—from its luxurious Uber Black service to the more accessible UberX and UberXL options. San Francisco, already populated by hundreds of Waymo vehicles, will serve as Uber’s first major market for this rollout, underscoring the city’s role as both a proving ground and a competitive arena for emerging mobility solutions.
In an interview with *Business Insider*, Ferguson explained that partnering with Uber—the world’s largest ride-hailing platform with a network of roughly nine million drivers—provides an unparalleled opportunity to scale autonomous services rapidly and affordably. He emphasized two strategic advantages driving this collaboration: Nuro’s exceptionally cost-efficient technology stack and Uber’s enormous platform reach. These elements create what Ferguson calls an “extraordinary economy of scale,” enabling robotaxi deployment at a competitive price point that could make autonomous transportation more accessible than ever.
Ferguson also discussed Uber’s plans, revealed in July, to deploy 20,000 or more robotaxis powered by Nuro’s self-driving system integrated into Lucid’s nearly $80,000 Gravity SUV. He observed that this vehicle, due to its refinement and spacious design, will appeal not only to riders of Uber’s premium tiers but also to a wide range of everyday passengers. Nevertheless, Nuro’s technology won’t remain confined to Lucid’s lineup—Ferguson suggested that future expansions may include additional vehicle platforms, enabling Uber to address a broader range of price points and use cases.
During his conversation with *Business Insider* at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco, Ferguson reflected on lessons derived from his years at Google, insights that have guided Nuro’s founding philosophy and ongoing operations. He underscored that “the team is everything,” explaining that he and Zhu prioritized assembling a world-class group of top engineering talent—because, as he put it, “A-players attract A-players.” Looking back nearly a decade later, he attributes all of Nuro’s achievements to that original principle. Another lesson he carried forward was the necessity of strategic clarity—building cutting-edge technology is not enough; success depends on understanding how to bring that technology into the real world, creating products that matter to people and can be scaled sustainably.
When asked how it feels to meet his ‘alma mater’—Waymo—on the public stage, Ferguson responded with warmth, describing deep respect and mutual appreciation among early pioneers of autonomous technology. He noted that the self-driving industry’s origins trace back to a close-knit community of researchers from a handful of U.S. universities who, over time, went on to establish or lead today’s key companies. Despite the competitive environment, he said, many of those early relationships remain collegial, even collaborative.
Discussing Uber’s role in the partnership, Ferguson emphasized that this collaboration gives Uber significant influence over the customer experience—from ride-hailing mechanics to pickup and drop-off design—allowing the company to shape not just a service, but a complete, user-centered mobility ecosystem. As for consumer expectations, he believes that Uber’s scale, brand recognition, and operational sophistication make it uniquely positioned to deliver robotaxi rides that are not only affordable and efficient but also distinguished by a high-quality, seamless user experience.
Nuro’s choice of Lucid’s Gravity SUV was deliberate. The model’s premium design and performance place it at the intersection of elegance and practicality. By equipping it with Nuro’s self-driving technology—built on a combination of camera, lidar, and radar systems—the company achieves a balance between advanced capability and aesthetic integration. Importantly, Nuro has adopted an approach that relies on off-the-shelf, automotive-grade sensors rather than costly, custom-manufactured components, helping maintain affordability without compromising precision. Ferguson added that every effort was made to ensure the sensors blended into Lucid’s graceful exterior, avoiding the disjointed look that plagued earlier autonomous prototypes. All of Nuro’s lidar sensors are solid-state, eliminating the mechanical spinning units once visible atop autonomous cars.
When addressing public skepticism surrounding isolated robotaxi incidents, such as vehicles maneuvering awkwardly or malfunctioning under edge-case conditions, Ferguson maintained a pragmatic optimism. He argued that while imperfections remain, the technology has already reached a stage where users increasingly prefer autonomous rides over traditional alternatives. Continuous refinement will address remaining challenges, ultimately building confidence in the systems.
Asked about technical challenges, Ferguson pointed to weather variability—especially snow—as one of the remaining frontiers for full deployment. While most developers have temporarily focused on less extreme environments where they can achieve meaningful impact sooner, he expressed confidence that self-driving systems will eventually overcome these limitations.
On the perennial “lidar versus camera” debate, Ferguson advocated for a balanced, physics-based perspective. He stressed that lidar provides depth and spatial data that cameras alone cannot fully replicate. When an AI system combines inputs from cameras, radar, and lidar, its perception capabilities expand dramatically, thus raising its theoretical performance ceiling. Given that today’s lidar costs have plummeted—from about $75,000 per unit during Google’s early experiments to roughly $500 now—he views including lidar as an evident choice wherever it yields measurable safety improvements.
Nevertheless, he acknowledged that camera-only approaches are not fundamentally flawed but argued that current optical sensors still lack the resolution, adaptability, and dynamic range of the human eye. Therefore, supplementing vision-based systems with lidar enhances reliability with minimal cost trade-offs—a practical step toward safer autonomy.
Finally, Ferguson described the real bottleneck for the robotaxi industry as one of scale rather than innovation. Even as the software and hardware mature, widespread adoption depends on producing cost-effective vehicles in sufficient numbers and establishing robust operational infrastructure—large depots for parking, maintenance, and fleet management. Through its collaboration with Lucid and Uber, Nuro aims to tackle these barriers directly: Lucid will manufacture vehicles on a large production line, while Uber will leverage its global logistics expertise to manage and operate these vast autonomous fleets. Together, they seek to turn what once seemed a futuristic dream into a tangible, city-scale reality of accessible, autonomous transport.
Sourse: https://www.businessinsider.com/dave-ferguson-nuro-uber-lucid-robotaxi-san-francisco-2025-10
