Full-Time
Principal Engineer
Prediction and ML Planner
Updated on 9/4/2026
Motional
501-1,000 employees
All-electric driverless robotaxi service provider
Compensation Overview
$240k - $330k/yr
Company Historically Provides H1B Sponsorship
Remote in USA
Remote
Master's, PhD
 AI & Machine Learning (1) |
|---|
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- A Master's or Ph.D. in Computer Science or a related technical field, or equivalent industry experience.
- Proven leadership skills in executing large, complex technical initiatives.
- Experience with deep learning frameworks such as TensorFlow or PyTorch.
- Fluency in Python, including standard scientific computing libraries.
- A proven track record of designing, developing, and deploying machine learning solutions for autonomous vehicles or robotics.
- Advanced knowledge of software engineering principles, including software design, source control management, build processes, code reviews, and testing methods.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Define and execute motion planning and prediction projects that improve self-driving vehicles’ ability to safely, comfortably, and legally navigate complex traffic scenarios.
- Design and lead the implementation of behavior models leveraging machine learning, generative artificial intelligence, and reinforcement learning.
- Productionize and deploy solutions onto autonomous vehicle fleets.
- Collaborate with perception, simulation, data platform, and integration teams to validate and enhance products’ on-road performance.
- Communicate strategies, progress, and challenges to executive leadership.
- Experience with embedded systems and real-time optimization, especially in the autonomous driving industry.
- Experience with state-of-the-art generative artificial intelligence and/or reinforcement learning paradigms.
- A proven track record of publications in relevant conferences, including CVPR, ICML, NeurIPS, ICCV, and ICL.
- Strong programming skills in C++ and/or CUDA.
Motional builds fully driverless, all-electric robotaxis for urban transportation. Its vehicles operate within ride-hailing and delivery networks by partnering with these services to provide autonomous mobility options. The cars use advanced sensors and software to navigate city streets safely, while a real-time Command Center monitors every robotaxi, allowing human agents to supervise operations, offer remote assistance, and ensure passenger safety. Motional differentiates itself through continuous real-time oversight, a scalable B2B model, and a focus on integrating autonomous vehicles into existing mobility networks rather than selling to individual consumers. The company aims to make driverless transportation safe, reliable, and accessible at scale, reducing costs and increasing efficiency for partners and riders alike.
Company Size
501-1,000
Company Stage
Growth Equity (Non-Venture Capital)
Total Funding
$927.2M
Headquarters
Boston, Massachusetts
Founded
2020
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Simplify's Take
What believers are saying
- September 8, 2026 nuReasoning launch deepens Motional’s AI moat and licensing revenue options.
- March 13, 2026 Uber relaunch restored public robotaxi service after Motional’s 2024 reset.
- Laura Major targets end-2026 driverless service, creating a near-term commercialization catalyst.
What critics are saying
- Motional still uses safety drivers in Las Vegas; a fully driverless launch slips to late-2026.
- Hyundai has already injected over $3.4 billion; another missed deadline pressures a breakup.
- Waymo and Zoox already operate in Las Vegas, crushing Motional’s path to relevance.
What makes Motional unique
- Hyundai’s Ioniq 5 factory integration gives Motional built-in sensors and compute, cutting retrofit costs.
- Motional’s nuReasoning dataset, released September 8, 2026, monetizes fleet data and reasoning labels.
- Uber distribution gives Motional immediate rider demand without building its own consumer app.
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Benefits
401K: 401K with up to 7.5% match
time Off: Unlimited sick and vacation days
Transportation: Commuter and fitness benefits
Healthcare: 3 plan options to support diverse needs
IVF: Fertility assistance
Growth & Insights and Company News
6 month growth
↓ -10%1 year growth
↓ -10%2 year growth
↓ -10%Motional has released nuReasoning, described as the world's first reasoning-centric open dataset for autonomous vehicles. The dataset contains 20,000 long-tail scenarios drawn from Motional's driving data across Las Vegas, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles, Boston, and Singapore. The dataset provides over 105 hours of edge cases with 247,000 reasoning annotations, designed to teach autonomous vehicles human-like decision-making. Each scenario includes at least 20 seconds of video with human-verified reasoning explaining why specific actions were taken. Motional developed the dataset with UCLA Mobility Lab and Professor Jiaqi Ma. The company is launching the nuReasoning Challenge at the European Conference on Computer Vision in Sweden, with winners to be announced at NeurIPS in December. The dataset is available for free academic use or commercial licensing. A miniset released earlier this year was downloaded over 50,000 times.
Hyundai-backed Motional has relaunched robotaxi operations in Las Vegas through Uber, two years after pausing its commercial service to overhaul its technology and reduce costs. CEO Laura Major told Business Insider the company can now deploy robotaxis more cheaply than competitors like Waymo. The company shifted from specialised models to "Large Driving Models" that adapt across geographies, whilst cutting 40% of its workforce to 700 employees. Motional's integration with Hyundai allows cars to arrive from production lines with sensors and compute power pre-installed, avoiding costly retrofitting. Currently operating with safety drivers, Motional plans fully driverless service by end-2026. The company will partner with ride-hailing platforms rather than launch its own app, with plans to license technology to other operators for fleet management.
Uber and Hyundai Motor-backed Motional launched a commercial robotaxi service in Las Vegas on Friday, marking the latest partnership as Uber expands its self-driving taxi strategy. The company has committed over $100 million to develop autonomous vehicle charging hubs. Las Vegas users can hail Motional's IONIQ 5 electric robotaxis through Uber's app at no extra cost. The service covers key areas including Las Vegas Boulevard, Resorts World, Downtown Las Vegas and Town Square near the airport. The vehicles will initially operate with human safety operators, with fully driverless service expected by late 2026. Motional's IONIQ 5 is among the first Level 4-capable autonomous vehicles certified under US Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. Uber has recently partnered with Amazon's Zoox, Baidu, Nissan and Wayve to expand autonomous offerings globally.
Uber and Motional launch commercial robotaxi service in Las Vegas. In this article: March 13 (Reuters) - Uber and Hyundai Motor-backed autonomous vehicle firm Motional launched a commercial robotaxi service in Las Vegas on Friday, the latest in a string of similar tie-ups as the ride-hailing platform doubles down on its self-driving taxi strategy. Uber has already partnered with major players in the space, including Baidu, Amazon's Zoox, Nissan and British startup Wayve, and said it will invest more than $100 million to develop autonomous vehicle charging hubs as the sector races to commercialize driverless mobility at scale. * Uber's tie-up with Motional will allow Las Vegas users onits app to hail a driverless electric vehicle at no extra cost,the company said. * The service will cover pick-up zones along Las VegasBoulevard, including Resorts World, Encore at the Wynn, WestgateResort & Casino, Downtown Las Vegas and Town Square near theairport. * Users requesting UberX, Uber Electric, Uber Comfort orUber Comfort Electric may be matched with a Motional IONIQ 5robotaxi, with the option to switch to a conventional ride. * Motional's IONIQ 5 is among the first SAE Level 4-capableautonomous vehicles certified under the U.S.'s Federal MotorVehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS), according to Uber. * The vehicles will initially operate with a human safetyoperator behind the wheel, with a fully driverless serviceexpected to be launched by late 2026. * Earlier this week, Uber signed a multi-year deal to deployAmazon self-driving unit Zoox's robotaxis on its platform, withlimited services already live in Las Vegas and a pilot riderprogram underway in San Francisco. * On Thursday, Uber, Nissan and Wayve agreed to collaborate,targeting a pilot robotaxi launch in Tokyo by late 2026, markingUber's first autonomous vehicle partnership in Japan. (Reporting by Kritika Lamba in Bengaluru; Editing by Jonathan Ananda)
Uber and Motional have launched a robotaxi service in Las Vegas, allowing riders to be matched with all-electric Motional IONIQ 5 autonomous vehicles at no additional cost. The service is initially available at designated locations along Las Vegas Boulevard, including Resorts World Las Vegas, Encore at Wynn Las Vegas and downtown areas, with plans for future expansion. Riders requesting UberX, Uber Electric, Uber Comfort or Uber Comfort Electric may be matched with a robotaxi, with the option to decline. Initially, vehicles will feature a human operator monitoring from the driver's seat, with fully driverless operations expected by year-end. The partnership follows a 10-year framework agreement established in 2022 and previous pilots for delivery and ride-hailing services.