2021 Automotive News All-Stars

Few executives can say they've signed on to as many high-profile partnerships and deals as Chris Urmson, CEO of Aurora Innovation.

The self-driving tech company this year has partnered with FedEx to pilot driverless delivery services. It signed on to an agreement with big-rig manufacturer PACCAR to load its trucks with Aurora's technology, and it would do the same a couple months later with Volvo.

All of that came on the heels of a major deal late last year, when Uber invested $400 million into Aurora and gave the company Uber ATG, its autonomous-vehicle division.

Aurora went public in November, trading on the Nasdaq after it merged with a special purpose acquisition company.

Even its listing came on the heels of a major deal with some of its shareholders.

According to Bloomberg, Uber and other major shareholders such as Sequoia Capital and the company's founders cannot sell their shares for four years.

Urmson, 45, in an interview with Benzinga, said that deal is designed to tell investors that "this is not a short-term, flip-it bet." Instead, Urmson and Aurora are committed to rolling out its technology over the course of several years as it develops.