Dara Khosrowshahi is resigning from the board of directors of autonomous vehicle technology company Aurora Innovation, citing a desire to focus on his current responsibilities as CEO of Uber and reduce the board’s outside commitments, according to a regulatory filing on Friday.
Khosrowshahi’s resignation was effective Tuesday. Aurora says Khosrowshahi’s decision to leave the board was not the result of any disagreement with the company.
The CEO of Uber and Aurora Innovation go back a long way. In 2020, Uber transferred its own autonomous driving unit, Uber ATG, to Aurora. The deal at the time involved Uber giving up its equity in ATG and investing $400 million in Aurora, giving it a 26% stake in the combined company. Khosrowshahi joined Aurora’s board of directors as part of the deal.
Through Uber Freight, Uber’s freight brokerage platform that connects shippers and carriers, the transportation and delivery giant maintained its connection with Aurora. In June, Uber and Aurora announced a multi-year collaboration to place trucks powered by Aurora technology on the Uber Freight network.
Uber’s relationship with Aurora, however, is not exclusive. The company also has an agreement with Waabi, the autonomous truck startup founded by Raquel Urtasun, who previously served as chief scientist and head of R&D at Uber ATG.
Shailen Bhatt, senior vice president and chief operating officer of AtkinsRéalis, will join Aurora’s board of directors in place of Khosrowshahi. Bhatt has experience working for the Federal Highway Administration.
Khosrowshahi’s decision to leave the board comes a couple of weeks after Nolan Shenai, Aurora’s general counsel, shared his intention to lower effective January 6, 2025. Ossa Fisher, president of Aurora, will assume Shenai’s responsibilities while the company considers his replacement.
This article has been updated to include information about Aurora’s new board member and another recent executive departure.