拖欠半年工资，员工拿饮水机抵债！明星智驾独角兽禾多科技疑似解散
InfoQ 整理｜冬梅
曾经备受资本市场青睐的自动驾驶明星独角兽禾多科技，如今疑似走向破产清算，数百名员工面临半年工资无法发放的困境，甚至以办公室饮水机抵债。这一消息引发了业界广泛关注，也再次将自动驾驶行业残酷的现实摆在了大众面前。
据多位认证为禾多科技员工的网友爆料，公司已经走上破产清算之路，三四百名员工大半年没发工资，很有可能这半年多的工作变成了义务劳动。有消息人士透露，禾多科技与广汽集团的重组方案遭遇重大变数，资金链断裂，导致公司无力支付工资。
禾多科技成立于2017年，致力于打造基于人工智能技术的自动驾驶解决方案，曾获得多轮融资，总额超过10亿元人民币。其创始人倪凯拥有丰富的自动驾驶领域经验，曾任职于百度深度学习研究院，负责无人车的研发。禾多科技也曾吸引了前博世集团ADAS业务单元中国区负责人蒋京芳加入管理团队，并与广汽集团建立了合作关系。
然而，尽管拥有明星创始人和知名管理人才，禾多科技最终还是倒在了盈利和量产的路上。据了解，公司近年来一直面临着入不敷出的困境，融资事件埋下的隐患、量产项目难以盈利、高管团队决策不力等因素都加速了其走向破产的步伐。
禾多科技的倒闭并非个例，近年来，不少自动驾驶公司都面临着资金链断裂、无法盈利等问题，最终走向失败。自动驾驶行业竞争激烈，盈利模式尚未完全成熟，企业需要不断探索和创新，才能在残酷的市场竞争中生存下来。
禾多科技的倒闭给整个自动驾驶行业敲响了警钟，提醒企业要注重商业模式的构建，避免过度依赖融资，要将技术创新与商业化落地相结合，才能最终实现可持续发展。
英语如下：
Star-studded Autonomous Driving Unicorn “HeTu” Burns Through 1 BillionYuan, Employees Take Water Coolers as Salary!
Keywords: Autonomous drivingunicorn, unpaid wages, exit stage left
InfoQ Compilation | Dongmei
HeTu Technology, a once-lauded autonomous driving unicorn darling ofthe capital markets, is now suspected to be on the path to liquidation. Hundreds of employees face the grim reality of six months’ unpaid wages, with some evenresorting to taking office water coolers as compensation. This news has sparked widespread concern within the industry, once again exposing the harsh realities of the autonomous driving sector to the public.
According to multiple verified social media posts from HeTu Technology employees,the company is on the verge of liquidation. Around 300-400 employees have been left unpaid for half a year, potentially rendering their work over the past six months as unpaid labor. Sources reveal that a proposed restructuringplan with GAC Group encountered significant setbacks, leading to a financial crunch and the company’s inability to pay salaries.
Founded in 2017, HeTu Technology aimed to develop AI-powered autonomous driving solutions. The company had secured multiple rounds of funding, totaling over 1 billion yuan. Its founder,Ni Kai, boasts extensive experience in the autonomous driving field, having previously led unmanned vehicle research at Baidu’s Deep Learning Institute. HeTu Technology also attracted Jiang Jingfang, former head of Bosch Group’s ADAS business unit in China, to its management team and forged a partnership with GAC Group.
However, despite having a star founder and renowned management personnel, HeTu Technology ultimately stumbled on the path to profitability and mass production. The company has been grappling with financial difficulties in recent years, with hidden risks from past funding rounds, unprofitability of mass production projects, and ineffective decision-making by the management team allaccelerating its descent into bankruptcy.
HeTu Technology’s demise is not an isolated incident. In recent years, numerous autonomous driving companies have faced similar challenges, including financial distress and an inability to generate profits, ultimately leading to their demise. The autonomous driving industry is fiercely competitive, with a yet-to-be fullymatured profit model. Companies need to continuously explore and innovate to survive in this cutthroat market.
The collapse of HeTu Technology serves as a wake-up call for the entire autonomous driving industry. It underscores the importance of building sustainable business models, avoiding excessive reliance on funding, and aligning technological innovation with commercialization toachieve long-term growth.
【来源】https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/TMz1kMkKb262B2B1oqQjzw
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