Lior Ron (business executive)

Lior Ron
Ron speaks during a panel discussion of the DLD17 (Digital-Life-Design) Conference at the Alte Bayerische Staatsbank on 16 January, 2017, in Munich.
Born	(1977-03-16) March 16, 1977 (age 48)
Alma mater	Technion – Israel Institute of Technology (BSc and MA) Stanford Graduate School of Business (MBA)
Occupation	Businessman
Known for	Co-founder, Otto Founder & CEO, Uber Freight

Lior Ron (born March 16, 1977) is an Israeli businessman. He is the founder and CEO of logistics technology company Uber Freight, and the co-founder of self-driving truck company Otto.

Early life and education

Ron grew up in Israel near Haifa. ^[1] He attended the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa, where he earned a bachelor's degree in computer science in 1997. ^[2] He then joined Israeli Army Intelligence, where he served until 2004. ^[1]

After the Army, he earned a master's degree in computer science at Technion, incorporating artificial intelligence as he developed a biomedical device to assist patients suffering with Parkinson's disease. ^[1] He then moved to California and earned an MBA from The Stanford Graduate School of Business. ^[3] His undergraduate work and master's thesis were centered around AI when it was still in its early stages. ^[4]

Career

Google

In 2007, Ron joined Google as the Product Lead for Google Maps. ^[5] He then worked at Motorola Mobility after it was acquired by Google, and in Google's robotics research effort. ^[6]

Otto

In 2016, Ron left Google to found Otto, a company that makes self-driving kits to retrofit big rig trucks. ^{[7] [8]} Quoted in Wired , Ron said he left Google because he “felt an obligation to bring this technology to society sooner rather than later.” ^[9] Otto launched in May 2016, and was acquired by Uber in late July of the same year. ^[10] The Uber partnership allowed Ron and Otto the opportunity to develop a freight marketplace for truck drivers. ^{[11] [12]}

Uber Freight

On May 18, 2017, Ron and Uber launched Uber Freight, a unit of Uber initially designed as an app connecting long-haul truck drivers with companies in need of cargo shipping, with Ron as CEO. ^{[13] [14]} In August 2018, Uber Freight launched a new digital platform focused on shippers, to help them find the right driver for their needs. ^[15] In 2021, Uber Freight acquired Transplace for $2.25 billion, expanding its services to include managed transportation, logistics software, and consulting. ^[16]

With Ron as CEO, Uber Freight has evolved into a full-scale logistics technology company for shippers and drivers, as Ron introduced more advanced generative AI capabilities to Uber Freight's software and Insights AI logistics platform. ^{[4] [14]} In September 2024, the company announced it manages nearly $20 billion in freight, and serves one in three Fortune 500 companies. ^[17] In May 2025, the company launched the transportation industry's first large-scale AI-powered logistics network, with its large language model embedded directly into its transportation management system. ^[18]

Controversy

Ron co-founded Otto with Anthony Levandowski, who faces a lawsuit brought in 2017 from Google's parent company Alphabet that alleges Levandowski stole trade secrets while working for Alphabet's self-driving car division before he and Ron co-founded Otto. ^[19]

References

1. Waxman-Lenz, Michael (5 November 2024). "Technion Trailblazers: Lior Ron on the Global Impact of the Strongest Education". Times of Israel. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
2. "Meet Lior Ron, the Israeli Tech Guru at the Center of the Self-Driving Revolution". Forward. 22 August 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
3. "Meet Lior Ron, The Guy In Charge Of Google's Big Attempt To Kill Samsung And Apple With An 'X Phone'". Business Insider. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
4. O'Kane, Sean (21 May 2025). "Uber Freight bets big on AI tools to grow its business". Tech Crunch. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
5. Harris, Mark (17 May 2016). "The Man Who Built Google's First Self-Driving Car Is Now a Trucker". Backchannel. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
6. Markoff, John (17 May 2016). "Want to Buy a Self-Driving Car? Big-Rig Trucks May Come First". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
7. "Uber's First Self-Driving Fleet Arrives in Pittsburgh This Month". Bloomberg.com. BloombergBusinessweek. 18 August 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
8. "Google veterans head off on their own to work on self-driving trucks". The Verge. 17 May 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
9. Stewart, Jack (17 May 2016). "$30K Retrofit Turns Dumb Semis Into Self-Driving Robots". Wired. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
10. "Uber acquires Otto to lead Uber's self-driving car effort". TechCrunch. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
11. "Why Self-Driving Trucks May Be the Next Big Thing on the Road". TIME. 12 September 2016. Retrieved 4 October 2016.
12. "Otto co-founder Lior Ron is back at Uber". 7 August 2018.
13. "Uber launches Uber Freight, its app for long-haul trucking jobs". The Verge. 18 May 2017. Retrieved 26 June 2017.
14. LaRocco, Lori Ann (2 November 2023). "Uber Freight CEO says the shipping recession is at a new tipping point". CNBC. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
15. Cosgrove, Emma (21 August 2018). "Uber Freight launches new platform just for shippers". Supply Chain Dive. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
16. Page, Paul (22 July 2021). "Uber's Freight Unit to Buy Logistics Tech Firm Transplace for $2.25 Billion". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
17. Sharkey, Grace (10 September 2024). "Uber Freight announces new tech offerings, reaches $20B in managed freight". Freight Waves. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
18. Brohan, Mark (22 May 2025). "Uber Freight unveils scaled AI logistics network". Digital Commerce 360. Retrieved 8 August 2025.
19. Isaac, Mike; Wakabayashi, Daisuke (25 February 2017). "A Lawsuit Against Uber Highlights the Rush to Conquer Driverless Cars". The New York Times. Retrieved 4 April 2017.