# HIBT Lab! Cruise: Kyle Vogt

- Show: [How I Built This](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this)
- Published: 2022-10-27
- Length: 50m
- Page: https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-10-27-hibt-lab-cruise-kyle-vogt

## Summary

Kyle Vogt, co-founder of Cruise (acquired by General Motors) and former co-founder of Twitch, explains the evolution of Cruise from a garage prototype to a scaling enterprise operating driverless robotaxis in San Francisco. He details the technical pivot from a consumer highway autopilot kit to a fleet-based urban mobility model, leveraging GM's manufacturing scale and the Chevrolet Bolt platform. Vogt discusses the engineering challenges of urban autonomy, including sensor fusion (LIDAR, radar, cameras), safety validation through simulation, and the regulatory path to obtaining California DMV permits for driverless operations.

## Chapters

- [0:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-10-27-hibt-lab-cruise-kyle-vogt#t=0) Introduction: Kyle Vogt and Cruise's Driverless Fleet
- [2:16](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-10-27-hibt-lab-cruise-kyle-vogt#t=136) The 2004 DARPA Grand Challenge and Early Autonomous Failures
- [4:39](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-10-27-hibt-lab-cruise-kyle-vogt#t=279) Founding Justin.tv and Twitch: Building Live Streaming Tech
- [11:17](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-10-27-hibt-lab-cruise-kyle-vogt#t=677) Pivoting to Self-Driving Cars and the RP1 Highway Kit
- [19:09](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-10-27-hibt-lab-cruise-kyle-vogt#t=1149) Abandoning the Kit to Build Robotaxis and Partnering with GM
- [24:00](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-10-27-hibt-lab-cruise-kyle-vogt#t=1440) Technical Challenges: AI Complexity, Real-Time Processing, and Safety
- [29:02](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-10-27-hibt-lab-cruise-kyle-vogt#t=1742) Achieving Driverless Operation and Regulatory Permits in SF
- [36:59](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-10-27-hibt-lab-cruise-kyle-vogt#t=2219) Public Safety, Mishaps, and the Future of Autonomous Mobility

## Topics

- [Robotics & autonomy](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/robotics-and-autonomy)
- [Scaling production](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/scaling-production)
- [Manufacturing partners & offshoring](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/manufacturing-partners)
- [Validation & product-market fit](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/validation-and-product-market-fit)
- [Certification & compliance](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/topic/certification-and-compliance)

## Most relevant to

companies scaling up

## Mentioned

- Cruise (company)
- General Motors (company)
- Twitch (product)
- Justin TV (product)
- Chevrolet Bolt (product)
- DARPA Grand Challenge (other)
- LIDAR (tool)
- Tesla (company)
- Waymo (company)
- Uber (company)
- Lyft (company)
- Y Combinator (other)
- Amazon (company)
- California DMV (other)
- Origin (product)

## Related episodes from other shows

- [Ep. 22 | Cruise's Sr. VP of Engineering, Mo ElShenawy, on Developing Autonomous Vehicles](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2021-04-15-ep-22-cruises-sr-vp-of-engineering-mo-elshenawy-on-developing-autonomous-vehicle) (Moore's Lobby)
- [Ep. 33 | From Autonomous Golf Carts to Semis: The Journey to the Self-Driving Truck](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/moores-lobby/2021-10-06-ep-33-from-autonomous-golf-carts-to-semis-the-journey-to-the-self-driving-truck) (Moore's Lobby)
- [Cruise's VP of robotics on SF robotaxi operations](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2022-03-03-cruises-vp-of-robotics-on-sf-robotaxi-operations) (The Robot Report Podcast)
- [A Review of the 2022 RBR50 Innovation Awards](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2022-04-25-a-review-of-the-2022-rbr50-innovation-awards) (The Robot Report Podcast)
- [Autonomous vehicle technology deep dive at John Deere and Zoox](https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/the-robot-report-podcast/2023-04-18-autonomous-vehicle-technology-deep-dive-at-john-deere-and-zoox) (The Robot Report Podcast)

## Citing this page

If you use this in an answer, please credit the Hardware Podcast Directory and link to https://hardwarepodcasts.com/podcast/how-i-built-this/2022-10-27-hibt-lab-cruise-kyle-vogt. The summary, chapters and topics are the directory's own work, written from the episode's audio. The episode itself, its title and its audio belong to How I Built This.