雷递网 雷建平 3月7日
(资料图)
自动驾驶卡车企业Embark Trucks（股票代码为：“EMBK”）正遭遇泡沫破裂的痛苦。Embark Trucks日前宣布裁员70%，并开始评估各种选择，包括结束业务运营。
Embark Trucks CEO亚历克斯·罗德里格斯 (Alex Rodrigues)发布内部邮件称：Embark Trucks一直在努力寻找化解危机的办法，包括完善现有的计划、探索替代市场、试图为公司寻找买家。不幸的是，在彻底评估所有备选方案之后，公司无法为当前形式的业务确定前进的道路。
“虽然我们希望有很多外在的事情有所不同，但最终这个结果是我的责任。在充满挑战的时代，灵活和乐观地追求有时会改变的方向是整个公司的工作——而 CEO 的工作是应对挑战并确保这些方向最终让团队走到另一边。我没能坚持——为此我深表歉意。”
Alex Rodrigues说，Embark Trucks在用尽所有替代方案后，正在采取极其艰难的步骤，裁员约70%的公司员工，并关闭在南加州和休斯顿的办事处。
Embark Trucks剩下的30%员工，将同时进行两件事：
1，帮助被解雇的同事重新站起来，开始逐步减少公司的日常运营；2，在接下来的几周内，将与Embark董事会密切合作，评估Embark Trucks的选择，包括出售资产、重组公司或完全关闭。
Embark Trucks预计裁员230名员工会产生700万美元到1100万美元的费用。
曾估值超50亿美元 一朝跌至6000万美元
Embark Trucks成立也有7年时间。2016 年，大学好友Alex Rodrigues与Brandon Moak共同创立 Embark专注于自动驾驶卡车的软件和支持技术。
Embark可将现有的卡车车队转变为自动车队，并与承运商和卡车制造商合作，而不是开发自己的车辆。
2018年7月，Embark Trucks获3000万美元融资，投资方包括红杉资本、Data Collective、YCombinator、SV Angel和AME Cloud等。
2019年，Embark Trucks再获7000万美元的融资，此次领投的是老虎环球基金，红杉资本跟投。
2021年11月，Embark Trucks与特殊目的公司Northern Genesis Acquisition Corp. II实现合并上市，筹集约6.14亿美元的现金，公司市值超过50亿美元。这是Embark Trucks最辉煌的时候。
截至今日，Embark Trucks股价下挫至2.56美元，市值仅为5996万美元。
欧美自动驾驶行业寒风阵阵
Embark Trucks并非完全山穷水尽。
截至2022年9月30日，Embark Trucks仍持有2.48亿美元的资产；截至2021年9月30日，Embark Trucks持有的总资产为2.9亿美元。
但Embark Trucks依然很艰难。导致Embark Trucks今天境地的原因，主要是公司一直无营收，且长期处于亏损状态，资本市场对Embark Trucks这一迟迟无法盈利的公司，越来越没有耐心。
如Alex Rodrigues在内部信中所说，“今天我怀着沉重的心情写信给您。过去9个月对于自动驾驶卡车运输行业和 Embark来说都是艰难的——资本市场已经背弃了没有盈利能力的公司（the capital markets have turned their backs on pre-revenue companies）。”
财报显示，Embark Trucks在2022年前9个月的运营亏损为1.16亿美元，上年同期的运营亏损为3841万美元；净亏损为6818万美元，上年同期的净亏损为4782.5万美元。
并非仅仅只有Embark Trucks很艰难。曾经市值超过百亿美元的图森未来，如今市值只剩4.56亿美元。
图森未来2022年11月还卷入激烈内斗，先是董事会终止CEO、总裁、CTO侯晓迪职务，后大股东踢走董事会，任命前CEO吕程（Cheng Lu）担任CEO，联合创始人陈默重新担任公司董事长，这场内斗后，图森未来元气大伤。
无独有偶，2022年10月，曾估值超70亿美元，并酝酿上市的自动驾驶初创公司Argo AI走向了灭亡。Argo AI日前发布一份声明，称福特汽车公司决定需要投资在短期内更容易实现的驾驶辅助技术，而不是Argo的目标。
福特汽车CEO Jim Farley说，“大规模盈利的全自动驾驶还有很长的路要走，我们不一定要自己创造这种技术。”
福特汽车决定停止L4方向的投入，停止ArgoAI的投入，转而集中资源做L2+和L3智能驾驶的开发，Argo AI被福特汽车战略性放弃。
2022年，英特尔旗下自动驾驶企业Mobileye在纳斯达克上市，募资总额为8.61亿美元。Mobileye曾计划估值不低于500亿美元，但直到现在，公司市值也只有332亿美元。
欧美自动驾驶行业寒风阵阵背后，是这两年整个资本行情一直处于低迷状态，在美国持续加息，及地缘政治动荡等不利因素下，欧美的上市窗口并未真正打开，投资的热潮已大幅消退，不盈利的项目很多都遭遇了投资人同脚投票。
以下是Embark CEO Alex Rodrigues内部信：
Embark Team,
I am writing to you today with a heavy heart. The last 9 months have been tough for the autonomous trucking industry, and for Embark — the capital markets have turned their backs on pre-revenue companies, just as slipping manufacturer timelines have delayed the prospect of scaled commercial deployment. Across Embark, we have been working very hard to find a path forward in the face of these challenges, including:
Refining our existing plan
Exploring alternative markets
Attempting to find a buyer for the company
Unfortunately, after thoroughly evaluating all alternatives, we have been unable to identify a path forward for the business in its current form. Although there are many external things that we wish had gone differently, ultimately this outcome is my responsibility. In challenging times, it is the whole company’s job to be flexible and optimistic in pursuing a sometimes-changing direction — and it is the job of the CEO to navigate the challenges and make sure those directions ultimately get the team to the other side. You held up your end of that bargain, I was not able to hold up mine — for that I am profoundly sorry.
Today, having exhausted all alternatives, we are taking the incredibly difficult step of laying off ~70% of the company, and shutting down our SoCal and Houston offices. A majority of employees will receive an email in the next 30 minutes that your role has been impacted, which will include detailed instructions on severance and next steps.
The remaining 30% of Embark will be undertaking two efforts in parallel:
Orderly wind-down:
Focus on respectfully supporting our colleagues who have been let go and helping them land on their feet
Begin winding down our day-to-day operations
2. Over the next handful of weeks, we will work closely with the Embark Board of Directors to evaluate our options, including selling assets, restructuring the company or shutting down completely
To those departing -
I’m sorry that myself and Brandon weren’t able to find a way. You are an amazing team and it has been the highlight of my life to get to work with all of you. This is not a reflection on you, but rather the nature of attempting something that has never been done before is that it is risky and even with incredible amounts of hard work, creativity and passion (which this team certainly has in spades!) success is not guaranteed.
If your role is impacted today, provided that you sign your separation agreement, you will receive:
Severance — Base salary through June 2, 2023, or equivalent lump-sum payment
Benefits — Embark will cover the cost of keeping your current company-sponsored medical, dental, and vision benefits through August 31, 2023
Equity — If you are part-way through a month of RSU vesting, your vesting will be accelerated to the next upcoming vesting date following today. Likewise, if you were promised a 2022 refresh grant as part of the 2022 comp cycle then, subject to board approval, that grant will be made and vested up to the next upcoming vesting date following today
Laptop — You can keep your company-provided laptop for personal use, as long as you coordinate with our IT team to wipe it in the next week.
Career support — Embark is establishing an internal Placement Team for the next 6 weeks to help connect departing employees with new opportunities.
Immigration support — Embark has worked with our external immigration attorneys to provide immigration support for those on visas and will pay the cost of up to 2 consultation sessions for any employee currently working at Embark on a visa.
I believe that solving autonomous trucking will one day be a huge benefit to society, and while Embark may not be there to see the vision through in its current form, I hope you know that your work made a difference in pushing the industry forward. As a leader, founder, coworker, and friend, this is a day I never hoped to see, but I want to say thank you to all of you from the bottom of my heart for being on this journey with me.
Alex
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