Just a week after Aurora kicked off its commercial self-driving truck operations in Texas, co-founder Sterling Anderson has announced his resignation. A longtime leader in the autonomous vehicle industry, Anderson served as Aurora’s Chief Product Officer. His decision to step down was disclosed in a regulatory filing attached to the company’s first-quarter earnings report.
Anderson’s resignation will become official on June 1, with his departure from the board effective August 31. Aurora clarified in the filing that the decision was not due to any disagreements over policies or practices. The board praised his major role in the company’s growth, calling his contributions “immense.”
According to information from the company’s earnings call, Anderson is taking a senior leadership role at a “globally iconic company,” though the name remains undisclosed. Anderson declined direct comment, but addressed the news during Thursday’s earnings call.
“Leaving Aurora is one of the hardest choices I’ve made,” he said. “But I believe now is the right time. Our product strategy is locked in. Our tech is active on roads, and our team is ready to scale. The momentum across the industry is real.”
A Founding Figure Departs as Aurora Gains Traction
Before co-founding Aurora in 2017, Anderson led Tesla’s Autopilot program. He launched Aurora alongside Chris Urmson, the former head of Google’s self-driving unit, and Drew Bagnell, who led autonomy efforts at Uber. The trio gave Aurora early buzz and helped attract investors like Amazon, Sequoia Capital, and T. Rowe Price.
Aurora expanded its influence further in December 2020 by acquiring Uber’s self-driving unit, ATG, in a no-cash deal. Uber transferred equity from ATG and invested $400 million, securing a 26% stake in Aurora. This move valued the combined company at $10 billion.
In 2021, Aurora went public through a SPAC merger with Reinvent Technology Partners Y, a firm launched by LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, Zynga’s Mark Pincus, and investor Michael Thompson. Since then, Aurora has focused squarely on self-driving trucks, pausing other efforts like robotaxis to streamline development.
Despite market challenges, Aurora hit a major milestone in April 2025 with the launch of its autonomous truck service in Texas. Anderson’s departure comes at this turning point, signaling a potential new era for the company as it transitions from development to commercial deployment.
