Originally Posted by
jon c.
Two months later, Ducey held a joint press conference with Uber to announce a $25,000 gift by the company to the University of Arizona’s College of Optical Sciences.
A press conference for a $25K donation is just odd. That's pocket change.
yeah, i read the Guardian article and basically, there was no serious quid pro quo. Ducey opened the state to Every AV company---and on March 1 signed an exec order letting AV companies (read Waymo) use driverless taxis on public roads---something Waymo was ready to do, in the Phoenix suburb of Chandler, and something Uber was nowhere near ready to do.
Intel has a big plant in Chandler, and is big into AVs. Basically all the companies setting up shop in Arizona for test programs are likely to bring jobs, eventually--Arizona has an AV-friendly corporate climate so why not set up regional service centers and such, permanent test tracks, whatever?
Gov. Ducey was basically (and still is) saying "All AV companies are welcome in AZ. We'll let you do the dirty work and won't ask to see it, because we believe you will clean it all up."
He knew there would be some firms (like Uber) which had bad numbers, but figured on the whole AV tech was coming, and he could help his state by helping it come. he probably figured the weaker firms would fail and no problem. (And once this is current affair is settled ... for Arizona and all the other AV companies, business as usual.)
That same March 1 exec order also contained a lot of language about meeting all the laws and safety requirements set by the DOT, which makes me think Ducey might have heard something about Uber's issues and was setting himself up to slow them down or cover himself.
Also .. I'd bet every other major company, AV or not, which does or wants to do business in Arizona, does the same sort of schmoozing/lobbying.