Representatives of Pittsburgh’s robotics industry and others in the city’s tech world have expressed concern that the mayor’s remarks and attitude about Uber are sending signals to other companies that the city is not welcoming to new businesses. They’ve met with the mayor’s staff to talk about the message coming from Grant Street, the Tribune-Review has learned. They are fearful about speaking out, worried what could happen if they anger the mayor.
…Concerns over the mayor’s remarks about Uber haven’t played out. Delphi decided to test a fleet of self-driving cars in Pittsburgh. Ford will invest $1 billion over five years in Pittsburgh’s Argo AI to develop autonomous vehicles. Aurora Innovation, founded by leaders in self-driving from Google, Tesla and Uber, has an office in Pittsburgh.