An executive departs Uber’s self-driving truck unit, adding to the company’s turmoil

Lior Ron, a central figure in Uber Technologies Inc.’s self-driving-truck project, left the company, said people familiar with the matter. The move comes less than two weeks after an Uber autonomous SUV hit and killed a pedestrian in Arizona.

Ron co-founded the autonomous trucking company Otto, which was acquired by Uber and became the subject of a trade-secrets lawsuit from Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo. Ron testified in the trial while leading Uber Freight, a business that sought to create a shipping business with the help of autonomous trucks.

Eric Meyhofer, Uber’s autonomous vehicle head, wrote in an email to employees that he and Chief Executive Officer Dara Khosrowshahi remain committed to the trucking project despite Ron’s departure.

“Dara and I both know all of you have been through a lot of change, and that is not easy,” Meyhofer wrote in the email obtained by Bloomberg. “I assure you that we remain bullish on Freight and continually impressed by the great work you do.”

The departure is unrelated to the fatal collision last week in Tempe, Ariz., said a person familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing personnel matters.

Uber declined to comment on Ron’s exit, but offered an emailed statement: “Since launching in Texas, we have introduced Freight to all states in the continental U.S. We believe it will continue to grow as we use our network and technology to transform the trucking industry.”

Ron started Otto with Anthony Levandowski after both worked at Alphabet. Less than a year after Uber bought Otto, Alphabet sued. Uber paid $245 million in stock to settle the case last month.