George Hotz cancels self-driving car product after US regulator asks questions

CEO of Comma.ai George “Geohot” Hotz speaks onstage during TechCrunch Disrupt SF 2016 at Pier 48 on September 13, 2016 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Steve Jennings/Getty Images for TechCrunch) (credit: TechCrunch)

Autonomous driving company Comma.ai announced via its Twitter feed this morning that it would be canceling its forthcoming Comma One product. Comma One was supposed to bring after-market autonomy to third-party vehicles. The company was founded by hacker George Hotz (aka Geohot), who is credited as the first person to hack the iPhone. In his tweets under the Comma.ai account, Hotz said that he decided to discontinue production after he received a stern letter from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) requesting more information about how the product works and safety precautions built into the technology.

“First time I hear from them and they open with threats. No attempt at a dialog,” Hotz tweeted with a link to the NHTSA’s 10-page letter. “Would much rather spend my life building amazing tech than dealing with regulators and lawyers. It isn't worth it,” he added.

Finally, Hotz tweeted, “The comma one is cancelled. comma.ai will be exploring other products and markets. Hello from Shenzhen, China.”