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Even though Google has become one of the poster brands for self-driving cars, there was always a question as to how the company would monetize the technology. Now, the tech giant has enlisted Airbnb executive Shaun Stewart to help them make the innovation into a viable business.
Stewart was Airbnb’s global head of vacation rentals, Forbes reports. Now, he is part of the Google X program as a director.
He is the latest addition to the team that has lost many of its founding members, including the program’s former CTO, Chris Urmson. As followers of the self-driving industry might know, Urmson basically became the name and face of Google’s autonomous driving division by putting the technology out there for people to see. His departure was considered a huge blow to the company, which could have easily derailed their efforts in ever applying the technology developed so far.
In any case, hiring Stewart is the clearest sign so far that Google actually wants to get something out of the huge amounts of money they have been funneling into the program. Earlier, the company hired auto industry veteran John Krafcik, which was seen as an indication that the self-driving division will finally become commercially profitable. So far, progress has been slow.
Google spokesperson Johnny Luu confirmed Stewart’s appointment to Reuters and hints that his role will largely apply to expanding the division and building it to become a business that could stand on its own. Since this is exactly where Stewart’s expertise falls under, it’s only natural that he would be appointed as one of the top dogs on the division’s ladder.
Stewart is not the only new hire to arrive at Google to help scale the project, however, as Krafcik also decided to get Kevin Vosen as a general counsel, and a former San Francisco city official named Tim Papandreou. Papandreou is an expert at transportation policy, so his input would be invaluable to Google’s efforts to turn a profit with its self-driving vehicles.
