decisions, now it comes out that they cut back on sensors/programming/testing hours on the autonomous cars?

They might not survive the law suits.

While I think Uber fucked up here and badly maybe so badly they should be run out of the business. These folks seem like leeches to me. They let this woman be homeless and now want to pretend they were hurt by her death.

Maybe she chose homelessness and these folks really do care and maybe they did everything in their power to try to help her while she lived but until I see or hear some evidence of that this smells a whole lot like opportunism.

Frodo you have had your eye on Uber for a long time and I have defended them in the past but this one is a bridge too far for me. predatory behavior with your "employees" is one thing willful disregard for public safety is another. In the end I think this will be a case of negligence on Ubers part. I really see no other explanation for it. That car should have seen her and if it could not see it should have detected that and pulled over or alerted the safety driver. The more info that comes out on this I think this is a direct result of cutting corners. This appears to be an epic level failure of what should be redundant systems.

Turns out over time I have come to agreement with you on this company. Sorry for defending them in the past.

The traditional taxi industry was corrupt, monopolistic, greedy, and soul destroying. Crappy cars, uncaring company owners, clueless dispatchers

When Uber first started, I supported the concept. Finally, an opportunity for drivers to take more control of their careers, indeed, their lives. I was going to become a driver myself, but some bad luck and bad decisions prevented me from getting a qualifying vehicle.

However, the rates kept dropping, and Uber was throwing drivers under the bus left and right. I saw where the rates had dropped so low it was next to impossible to be a legal and responsible Uber driver over the long term. Car maintenance (and ultimately replacement), as well as commercial insurance took a big bite out of that 65 cents a mile. Which only covered fare miles, not all the empty miles, which in even an efficient system are 50 to 60% of total mileage.

Going forward were the revelations about their toxic culture. Sexual harassment, racism, and the frat boy alpha asshole attitude exhibited by Travis Kalanick. Uber had become a capital burning disaster.

Their SDC program could not help but become an extension of that disaster. Between the Waymo lawsuit, losing or failing to retain the brightest and best, and the inevitable corner cutting in trying to bring a difficult and expensive technology to the market as rapidly as possible was bound to catch up with them. And that is how they ended up in this mess which has brought them to a temporary, and perhaps even permanent halt in commercially and profitably bringing SDC tech to a wide market.

I said this would happen with the first accident of self driving trucks. Looks like the cars beat them to it.