Lucid Motors, the electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer, has announced the surprise resignation of its CEO and CTO, Peter Rawlinson. The news comes as the company faces significant challenges in selling its new Gravity SUV and reducing costs. Rawlinson will remain with the company as a "strategic technical adviser" to Turqi Alnowaiser, the chairman of the board and a top executive at Saudi Arabia's sovereign wealth fund, Lucid's majority owner.

The EV maker's fourth-quarter earnings call did not feature Rawlinson, fueling speculation about his departure. The company has not provided a clear reason for his resignation, but it is clear that Lucid Motors needs to address its sales and cost reduction issues. The company is also developing a new midsize vehicle platform, expected to launch at the end of 2026, which will require significant investment.

In other EV news, Flexport CEO Ryan Petersen has announced a suite of new products and features that utilize AI. The freight forwarding and logistics startup is rolling out these products at a rapid pace, inspired by Airbnb's "founder mode" strategy. This approach involves making semi-annual announcements of new products and features, a strategy that Petersen believes will help Flexport stay ahead in the competitive logistics industry.

Meanwhile, Cruise, the autonomous vehicle subsidiary of General Motors, has undergone significant layoffs, with nearly 50% of its workforce slashed. The remains of Cruise are expected to move under General Motors as the automaker focuses on improving its hands-free driver-assistance system, Super Cruise, and eventually rolling out personal autonomous vehicles. Sources close to the company have revealed that additional layoffs have occurred since the initial round, including the dismissal of the Cruise marketing team.

In deal news, Dutch food delivery giant Just Eat Takeaway has been acquired by global tech company Prosus for €4.1 billion in cash. This deal will make Prosus the fourth-largest food delivery group globally. Other notable deals include AIRO Group's estimated $100 million IPO, Circuit's $17 million Series B round, Donut Lab's €15 million raise, and Gozem's $30 million Series B funding round.

In autonomous vehicle news, AAA has released its annual survey, which shows that enthusiasm for self-driving vehicles is low, with only 13% of surveyed drivers considering it a priority. Avride autonomous sidewalk delivery robots have also launched commercial operations in central Tokyo. Meanwhile, Range Energy, a startup that developed electrified semitrailers, has shuffled its executive deck, with founder and CEO Ali Javidan moving into the president and CTO role.

Joby Aviation has released its earnings, revealing that it is on track to deliver an aircraft to Dubai by mid-2025. The electric vertical takeoff and landing startup has made progress on stage four of type certification and expects to go through the final step of the FAA certification process within the next 12 months. However, the company's net loss for 2024 was $608 million, highlighting the significant costs involved in developing electric aircraft.

Finally, the Court of Justice of the European Union has affirmed a ruling that Google's initial block of a third-party electric car-charging app developed by Enel constitutes antitrust abuse. This judgment sets out conditions for tech giants when it comes to interoperability, which could have wider applicability for app makers seeking to plug their wares into key platforms.