<ul><li>Aurora Innovation, an autonomous vehicle technology startup, is going through a challenging year, having spent about USD 230 million in cash for tech development and pushing back the commercial launch of its autonomous trucking business by a year to 2024 , coupled with worsening market conditions and supply chain constraints in general.</ul>

• Aurora has already cut back its expenses extending its runway to mid-2024 but the company is reportedly mulling over more strategies to overcome this situation and extend the runway further to remain competitive in the market. In a leaked memo, originally intended for the board, the co-founder and CEO Chris Urmson outlined several strategies revealing these intentions.

• The list of potential options includes the sale of the company to Apple, Microsoft, or a Tier 1 auto parts supplier, taking the company private (if an investor could anchor a USD 1.5 billion funding round), spinning off or selling assets (ex: sale of LiDAR business for USD 500 million–1 billion, or selling a building or its test track), or raising further capital (via offering discounted shares to employees targeting a USD 25 million raise).

• Another suggested option was to acquire related companies worth USD 150–300 million and cut costs aggressively to strengthen the balance sheet. Reportedly, human resources-related measures such as freezing hiring, laying off employees, reorganizing, and cash-saving measures are also on the table.