George Hotz Cancels Self-Driving Car Project

[HardOCP News]

It's funny how just six months ago George Hotz got $3.1 million in funding for this aftermarket add-on that would supposedly make newer cars semi-autonomous. Fast forward to today and the project is cancelled because Hotz apparently hadn't provided the NHTSA with proof that his product was safe.

NHTSA then issued a “special order” directed at Comma.ai, which insisted that the company provide detailed answers to 15 questions related to Comma One, its design, testing practices and information regarding safety trials, intended target vehicles and anticipated sales timeline. These appear to be fairly standard requirements for a device that purports to be able to take over operation of your car, even if only in limited circumstances. Hotz tweeted from the official Comma.ai account that rather than providing the requisite response, the company would instead be cancelling Comma One entirely, and turning its attention to “other products and markets,” since Hotz says that the prospect of a life “dealing with regulators and lawyers… isn’t worth it.”

 

[sfsuphysics]

So ... did he get that money via crowdscamming er sourcing, and now that he's burned through the money (or not) he decides that he's out either way 3.1 million just disappears?

 

[IcePickFreak]

If only there were a big demand for empty promises, the US would be right back on top again.

 

[SLee]

So ... did he get that money via crowdscamming er sourcing, and now that he's burned through the money (or not) he decides that he's out either way 3.1 million just disappears?

VC money, though with examples such as Theranos where no diligence seemed to be have been done, it's not surprising VC people are getting scammed as badly as regular people.

26-year-old hacker gets $3M for self-driving car startup