Lyft is now building its own self-driving technology, which is a big deal
Lyft believes that by 2021, “a majority” of its rides will be in autonomous vehicles. But up until recently, it has been reluctant to do any of the expensive work of building and installing the technology necessary to power these self-driving cars. Today, the ride-hail company said it would finally go beyond partnering with other companies on autonomous driving, and in a significant shift, it will start building some of the technology itself.
It’s a bold move for a company that, to date, has been content to simply partner with more experienced automakers and tech firms that already have huge head starts in designing the complex technology that powers self-driving cars. Lyft said it was motivated by a desire to stay competitive in the...