Mobileye CEO Amnon Shashua steps down after building autonomous driving giant from Intel’s $15.3B bet

Amnon Shashua, the founder who built Mobileye into one of the most consequential companies in autonomous driving, is stepping down as CEO. The announcement, made on July 23, marks the end of an era for a company that Intel bought for $15.3 billion in 2017, the largest acquisition in Israeli history at the time. Shashua isn’t being pushed out. This is a planned leadership transition, with the founder still listed as President and CEO on Mobileye’s website as details of the handoff take shape. From academic project to $15 billion acquisition Mobileye started as a research project and grew into the supplier behind the driver-assistance systems in tens of millions of vehicles worldwide. When Intel came knocking in 2017 with a $15.3 billion offer, it wasn’t just buying a chip company. It was buying a head start in the race toward fully autonomous vehicles. After the acquisition, Intel kept Shashua in the driver’s seat, appointing him as a senior vice president within the broader Intel organization. Under his continued leadership, Mobileye expanded from advanced driver-assistance systems (ADAS) into full-blown robotaxi technology. The capstone of that semi-independence came in October 20...