What’s happened in AI: June 24th-30th
Relatively slow week in the AI world. Major highlights include Uber’s acquisition of Mighty AI and Argo AI funding a $15mm research center at Carnegie Mellon. More weekly news below.
Tag Archives: Drive.AI
What’s happened in AI: June 3rd-9th
What do you do when you have a talented team but no chance to compete against better scaled competitors? You sell and move on. Looks like this is the situation Drive.ai finds itself in as it’s rumored to be in talks with Apple to be acquired.
I’m personally a huge fan of Drive.ai. They were one of two startups I pitched in my AI VC thesis a few years ago (the other one being Netra). My thesis on them held true, as I said they were a strong candidate to be acquired by a self-driving player who felt “behind the game”, which Apple very much is. With that being said the return early stage investors are getting likely isn’t great as this will be an acqui-hire and Drive.ai was looking for a buyer for 6 months (not the best sign). Regardless, I wish the team the best of luck in their next adventure. More weekly news below.
What’s happened in AI: March 25th-31st
Big news this week for AI M&A with McDonald’s acquiring an Israeli AI startup for $300mm and Daimler Trucks acquiring an autonomous truck startup for an undisclosed amount. For those interested in reading more about the autonomous truck industry, take a look at one of my earlier posts on the industry. I expect to see a lot more M&A activity going forward.
What’s happened in AI: October 15th-21st
Big week for Samsung as they announced an acquisition of Spanish AI company Zhilabs to bolster their 5G capabilities, and separately opened an AI research center in Montreal (their 4th AI center in North America).
Meanwhile on the partnership front, Baidu became the 1st major Chinese tech company to join the American-led Partnership for AI (PAI). Current members include Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Microsoft, who also collaborate with government entities like the UN and Human Rights Watch.
What’s happened in AI: May 7th-13th
Busy week in many different areas of the AI world. Highlights include Google hosting their annual I/O festival for developers, and the White House finally taking concrete steps to foster AI collaboration between the private sector and government by hosting an AI summit. Meanwhile, on the autonomous vehicle front, Drive.AI announced a ride-haling services pilot program… Read More »