Rivian Chief Software Officer: Not focusing on autonomy or robotaxis
In an interview with Business Insider, Rivian Chief Software Officer (CSO) Wassym Bensaid confirmed that the electric truck maker is not chasing self-driving or robotaxi services.
Instead, the company is looking to put its efforts into ensuring that its software improvements improve the safety and convenience of its customers.
“We are not necessarily chasing full-self driving, we're not chasing robotaxis. Our goal is incremental improvements to the safety and convenience for customers,” Bensaid said.
Rivian opted for a different approach compared to rivals like Tesla, which started its operations with an electric sports car. Instead, Rivian opted to enter the market with off-road-capable, premium, all-electric trucks, the R1T pickup and the R1S SUV.
Enjoyed the discussion with @kirstenkorosec at #TechCrunchDisrupt2024 about our philosophy with software and technology at Rivian
— Wassym Bensaid (@WassymBensaid) October 31, 2024
Full video: https://t.co/2gJ1VZ8Xnq pic.twitter.com/VKzJXLi6OJ
This was highlighted by Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe during a podcast in September, when he noted that Rivian really made it a point to not cover the same ground as Tesla. Bensaid’s recent comments to Insider echoed the CEO’s sentiments.
“We're not chasing a specific autonomy level because we think, philosophically, that it's really about the incremental features, whether it's safety or convenience that you can progressively add to the car. In some cases, some of the automakers end up in a battle over winning standards instead of really delivering better features for customers.
“Software is, really behind the scenes, pervasive throughout the entire company. And we see Rivian as a tech company. We're doing a tech product which happens to be a car,” Bensaid reportedly told Insider.
Check out the Rivian executive's interview at the TechCrunch Disrupt conference in San Francisco in the video below.
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