23:53 27 December 2020
Amazon acquires manufacturer of autonomous taxis
Jeff Bezos' company acquired Zoox, a company that produces autonomous taxis, for $1.2 billion. The co-founder and technical director of the startup Jesse Levinson revealed in an interview with Business Insider that talks between the companies had been going on for several years, but only in 2020, the work on the acquisition process was intensified.
Amazon representatives had the opportunity to check how the vehicles function during test drives in San Francisco. Their aim was to show the investor the level of technological advancement of the vehicle manufacturer.
The transaction was conditional on Amazon's guarantees that plans to create a passenger transport service by autonomous taxis would not be blocked.
Zoox revealed more details about the concept of autonomous taxis during the presentation of the vehicle the company intends to use in offering driverless taxi services. The original launch date of the service was to be 2021, but the premiere was postponed to an undefined future.
