Zoox

Zoox, Incorporated
Company type	Subsidiary
Industry	Autonomous vehicles, Technology
Founded	2014; 12 years ago
Founder	Tim Kentley-Klay, Jesse Levinson
Headquarters	Foster City, California, United States
Area served	United States (multiple metropolitan areas including San Francisco, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Atlanta, Austin, Seattle, Washington, D.C.)
Key people	Aicha Evans (CEO)
Owner	Amazon
Parent	Amazon Devices & Services

Zoox, Incorporated is a U.S.-based tech firm and a subsidiary of Amazon, specializing in the creation of autonomous vehicles aimed at mobility as a service. Its headquarters are located in Foster City, California, with additional operations across the San Francisco Bay Area and Seattle. Zoox is integrated within the Amazon Devices & Services division, alongside other units such as Amazon Lab126, Amazon Alexa, and Kuiper Systems.

History

Established in 2014 by Australian artist and designer Tim Kentley-Klay together with Jesse Levinson, son of Apple’s chairman Arthur D. Levinson, Zoox centers its efforts on autonomous driving technology. The company’s name is inspired by the marine organism Zooxanthellae, reflecting themes of renewable energy utilization and symbiotic partnerships, which parallel Zoox’s vision for self-driving taxi services.

In January 2019, Zoox appointed Aicha Evans, previously Intel’s Chief Strategy Officer, as its CEO. On June 26, 2020, Amazon completed the acquisition of Zoox for more than $1.2 billion, making it a fully owned subsidiary. Unlike some other Amazon branches, Zoox retains its independent management structure but operates under the Amazon Devices & Services umbrella, with Evans reporting directly to Senior Vice President Panos Panay.

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Zoox’s operations span several major U.S. metropolitan regions including San Francisco and Las Vegas, with planned expansions into Los Angeles, Miami, Atlanta, Austin, Seattle, and Washington, D.C. The company is advancing from development and testing stages toward limited public trials, targeting important urban centers for its autonomous ride-hailing offerings.

Technology

Zoox designs a ground-up autonomous vehicle specifically created for the robotaxi sector instead of modifying existing automobiles. Their battery-electric vehicle features a symmetrical, bi-directional design that combines cutting-edge automotive engineering, robotics innovations, and renewable energy technologies to meet the specialized requirements of self-driving transportation.

Before revealing their commercial model in December 2020, Zoox conducted trials of their autonomous system using modified Toyota Highlanders in urban areas such as San Francisco’s Financial District and North Beach neighborhoods as well as Las Vegas. This methodology highlights Zoox’s dedication to deploying purpose-built autonomous vehicles optimized for ride-hailing services.

Progress and Competition

In December 2018, Zoox became the pioneer company authorized to offer autonomous transportation services to the public within California. By mid-2018, specifically July, Zoox had secured $800 million in venture funding, reaching a valuation of $3.2 billion; notable investors included Draper Fisher Jurvetson. In September 2020, the company obtained permission to conduct driverless vehicle testing on California’s public streets. Later that year, on December 14, Zoox revealed a fully electric, self-driving vehicle designed to reach speeds up to 75 mph.

On March 20, 2019, Tesla, Inc. initiated legal action against Zoox and several former Tesla employees, accusing them of misappropriating confidential logistics data. This dispute was resolved by April 2020 when Zoox admitted that certain new hires possessed Tesla documents.

By July 2022, Zoox declared through self-certification that its custom-built autonomous vehicle met the US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) without requiring regulatory exemptions. Nonetheless, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has yet to approve waivers for features such as steering wheels and pedals and continues to investigate this assertion.

In 2023, the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) granted Zoox authorization to test self-driving robotaxis carrying passengers on specified public roads near its Foster City headquarters at speeds not exceeding 35 mph. Subsequently, in June 2023, with approval from the Nevada Department of Motor Vehicles, Zoox extended its testing activities to Las Vegas.

In May 2024, the NHTSA initiated a safety probe following two rear-end collisions involving Zoox vehicles and motorcycles.

On August 6, 2025, under its Automated Vehicle Exemption Program, the NHTSA issued an exemption covering all of Zoox’s purpose-designed vehicles operating on US public roadways. Following this, the related audit inquiry was closed.

Zoox officially commenced its robotaxi service in Las Vegas on September 10, 2025, providing complimentary shuttle rides along the Las Vegas Strip, with intentions to broaden service coverage to additional resorts and entertainment locations.

Accidents

As reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) as of October 15, 2025, there have been 105 incidents involving Zoox vehicles operating in autonomous mode; some of these resulted in injuries or property damage.

Significant events include:

April 4, 2025: A collision between a Zoox vehicle and an electric bicycle.
April 8, 2025: An accident involving a Zoox vehicle and a passenger automobile led to a software recall.
May 8, 2025: A crash with an e-scooter prompted a second software recall.

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