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Lior Ron (business executive)

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Lior Ron
Lior Ron in January 2017.jpg
Ron speaks during a panel discussion of the DLD17 (Digital-Life-Design) Conference at the Alte Bayerische Staatsbank on 16 January, 2017, in Munich.
Born (1977-03-16) March 16, 1977 (age 48)
Alma mater Technion – Israel Institute of Technology (BSc and MA)
Stanford Graduate School of Business (MBA)
OccupationBusinessman
Known forCo-founder, Otto
Founder, Uber Freight
COO, Waabi

Lior Ron (born March 16, 1977) is an Israeli businessman. He is the founder, chairman and former CEO of logistics technology company Uber Freight, co-founder of self-driving truck company Otto, and COO of self-driving technology company Waabi.

Contents

Early life and education

Ron grew up in Israel near Haifa. [1] He attended the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, where he earned a bachelor's degree in computer science in 1997. [2] He then joined Israeli Army Intelligence, where he served until 2004. [1]

After the Army, he earned a master's degree in computer science at Technion, incorporating artificial intelligence as he developed a biomedical device to assist patients suffering with Parkinson's disease. [1] He then moved to California and earned an MBA from The Stanford Graduate School of Business. [3] His undergraduate work and master's thesis were centered around AI when it was still in its early stages. [4]

Career

Google

In 2007, Ron joined Google as the Product Lead for Google Maps. [5] He then worked at Motorola Mobility after it was acquired by Google, and in Google's robotics research effort. [6]

Otto

In 2016, Ron left Google to found Otto, a company that makes self-driving kits to retrofit big rig trucks. [7] [8] Quoted in Wired , Ron said he left Google because he “felt an obligation to bring this technology to society sooner rather than later.” [9] Otto launched in May 2016, and was acquired by Uber in late July of the same year. [10] The Uber partnership allowed Ron and Otto the opportunity to develop a freight marketplace for truck drivers. [11] [12]

Uber Freight

On May 18, 2017, Ron and Uber launched Uber Freight, a unit of Uber initially designed as an app connecting long-haul truck drivers with companies in need of cargo shipping, with Ron as CEO. [13] [14] In August 2018, Uber Freight launched a new digital platform focused on shippers, to help them find the right driver for their needs. [15] In 2021, Uber Freight acquired Transplace for $2.25 billion, expanding its services to include managed transportation, logistics software, and consulting. [16]

With Ron as CEO, Uber Freight has evolved into a full-scale logistics technology company for shippers and drivers, as Ron introduced more advanced generative AI capabilities to Uber Freight's software and Insights AI logistics platform. [4] [14] In September 2024, the company announced it manages nearly $20 billion in freight, and serves one in three Fortune 500 companies. [17] In May 2025, the company launched the transportation industry's first large-scale AI-powered logistics network, with its large language model embedded directly into its transportation management system. [18]

Waabi

On August 12, 2025, it was reported that Ron had been named chief operating officer of Waabi, a company developing autonomous driving technology using artificial intelligence. He remains as chairman of Uber Freight, with Rebecca Tinucci taking over as CEO. [19]

Controversy

Ron co-founded Otto with Anthony Levandowski, who faces a lawsuit brought in 2017 from Google's parent company Alphabet that alleges Levandowski stole trade secrets while working for Alphabet's self-driving car division before he and Ron co-founded Otto. [20]

References

  1. 1 2 3 Waxman-Lenz, Michael (5 November 2024). "Technion Trailblazers: Lior Ron on the Global Impact of the Strongest Education". Times of Israel. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  2. ↑ "Meet Lior Ron, the Israeli Tech Guru at the Center of the Self-Driving Revolution". Forward. 22 August 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  3. ↑ "Meet Lior Ron, The Guy In Charge Of Google's Big Attempt To Kill Samsung And Apple With An 'X Phone'". Business Insider. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  4. 1 2 O'Kane, Sean (21 May 2025). "Uber Freight bets big on AI tools to grow its business". Tech Crunch. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  5. ↑ Harris, Mark (17 May 2016). "The Man Who Built Google's First Self-Driving Car Is Now a Trucker". Backchannel. Archived from the original on 16 November 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  6. ↑ Markoff, John (17 May 2016). "Want to Buy a Self-Driving Car? Big-Rig Trucks May Come First". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  7. ↑ "Uber's First Self-Driving Fleet Arrives in Pittsburgh This Month". Bloomberg.com. BloombergBusinessweek. 18 August 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  8. ↑ "Google veterans head off on their own to work on self-driving trucks". The Verge. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  9. ↑ Stewart, Jack (17 May 2016). "$30K Retrofit Turns Dumb Semis Into Self-Driving Robots". Wired. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  10. ↑ "Uber acquires Otto to lead Uber's self-driving car effort". TechCrunch. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  11. ↑ "Why Self-Driving Trucks May Be the Next Big Thing on the Road". TIME. 12 September 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
  12. ↑ "Otto co-founder Lior Ron is back at Uber". 7 August 2018.
  13. ↑ "Uber launches Uber Freight, its app for long-haul trucking jobs". The Verge. 18 May 2017. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
  14. 1 2 LaRocco, Lori Ann (2 November 2023). "Uber Freight CEO says the shipping recession is at a new tipping point". CNBC. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  15. ↑ Cosgrove, Emma (21 August 2018). "Uber Freight launches new platform just for shippers". Supply Chain Dive. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  16. ↑ Page, Paul (22 July 2021). "Uber's Freight Unit to Buy Logistics Tech Firm Transplace for $2.25 Billion". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  17. ↑ Sharkey, Grace (10 September 2024). "Uber Freight announces new tech offerings, reaches $20B in managed freight". Freight Waves. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  18. ↑ Brohan, Mark (22 May 2025). "Uber Freight unveils scaled AI logistics network". Digital Commerce 360. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
  19. ↑ Rosenbaum, Eric (12 August 2025). "Uber Freight CEO joins self-driving truck company Waabi, says era of autonomous big rigs on U.S. roads is here". CNBC. Retrieved 23 January 2026.
  20. ↑ Isaac, Mike; Wakabayashi, Daisuke (25 February 2017). "A Lawsuit Against Uber Highlights the Rush to Conquer Driverless Cars". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
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