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Aurora Innovation, Inc. (NASDAQ: AUR) today announced it will host an Analyst and Investor Day on September 23, 2026, in Dallas. The company will share how it is

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Aurora Innovation (NASDAQ:AUR) executives said the company expects to reach at least 200 commercially operating, fully driverless trucks on public roads in 2026, supported by contracted capacity and growing customer demand for its Driver-as-a-Service offering.

During a town hall with retail investors, CEO and Chairman Chris Urmson and CFO Dave Maday discussed Aurora’s technology position, production plans, financing approach, customer adoption and operational expansion. The company said it would not provide financial outlook beyond its previously issued 2026 guidance.

Technology and competitive position Urmson said advances in artificial intelligence are helping Aurora’s business but argued that AI alone does not solve the challenge of deploying autonomous technology in safety-critical trucking applications. “There’s a big gap between a demo you could vibe code together” and industrializing autonomous driving for an 80,000-pound vehicle traveling at highway speeds, Urmson said. He pointed to Aurora’s investments in three generations of hardware, its supply-chain relationships, customer network and operating experience as elements of a defensible competitive advantage.

Urmson said Aurora is currently the only company operating driverless trucks on public roads and believes its first-mover position will compound as customers gain experience with the Aurora Driver. He said the company expects its technology to continue improving in areas including dynamic rerouting, operating efficiency, weather capability and fleet availability.

Aurora expects to operate in light snow and colder weather by the end of the year, Urmson said. For severe conditions such as flooding, black ice or heavy storms, he said the system continuously monitors its environment and can slow down, seek a safe location, pull over or stop when appropriate. Aurora also uses a command-center function to proactively avoid routes affected by significant weather events, according to Urmson.

Production capacity and route growth Maday said Aurora is fully contracted to support its 2026 target of at least 200 driverless commercial trucks. He added that Roush is expected to have capacity to build 20 trucks per week by October, equivalent to roughly 1,000 trucks annually.

The company also cited Volvo’s previously announced plan for up to 300 trucks by 2027, as well as Aurora’s relationships with Fabrinet for second-generation hardware kits and AUMOVIO for its third-generation hardware. Urmson said Aurora is working with PACCAR on a platform intended to support line-side installation of the third-generation hardware, though he did not provide a timeline.

Aurora expects to operate 20 to 25 trucks by the end of the third quarter and 200 trucks by year-end, Maday said. The company has 10 approved driverless routes and 12 active routes overall, including Dallas-to-Oklahoma City routes. Its 2026 fleet is expected to operate on those routes.

Urmson said the time required to open new lanes has declined substantially. He said Aurora’s first lane took about eight years to develop, while its second opened in roughly six months and its third in six weeks. The company expects to expand across the Sun Belt this year and across more of the U.S. in subsequent years, with route priorities driven largely by customer demand.

Maday said Aurora expects to cover a large portion of the Sun Belt by the beginning of 2028, including California, representing about 60 billion vehicle miles traveled.

Customer demand and value proposition Executives said Aurora is already generating revenue from customers and is seeing demand beyond its available 2026 capacity. Urmson said customers have moved from evaluating the technology to receiving contracts for driverless operations, although he noted that fleet operators need time to become comfortable with a new technology.

Maday said customers in Aurora’s Driver-as-a-Service model do not purchase the autonomous hardware separately; the hardware is embedded in the subscription price. He said customers are evaluating the technology through total cost of ownership, safety and operating benefits rather than through a conventional capital-investment payback calculation.

Labor savings and potential fuel savings of 10% to 32% as optimization progresses. Reduced insurance overhead. More than 20 hours of potential daily vehicle operation without driver hours-of-service limitations. The ability for a 200-truck autonomous fleet to provide service comparable to 400 human-driven trucks, according to Maday. Maday cited Hirschbach’s outlined plans to purchase 500 Aurora Driver-equipped trucks in 2027 and 2028 as an example of longer-term customer demand. He said Aurora is actively negotiating additional Driver-as-a-Service commitments with large enterprise customers.

Liquidity and operational integration Maday said Aurora had $1.2 billion in liquidity, which the company believes is sufficient to reach positive free cash flow in 2028. He said Aurora expects to use its at-the-market equity program in the near term primarily to cover tax liabilities and cash bonus payments in 2027, while retaining the ability to use it opportunistically.

Addressing recent sales by insiders and affiliated funds, Urmson said the transactions were not indicative of undisclosed information about Aurora’s business. He attributed the activity primarily to venture-capital fund cycles and technical issues related to returning capital following Aurora’s public listing through a special purpose acquisition company transaction.

On daily operations, Urmson said Aurora is focused initially on highway driving and drop-and-hook operations rather than backing into docks. Fueling may occur at customer sites or through existing truck-stop infrastructure, while inspections and roadside repairs will continue to involve people and service providers such as Ryder. He said Aurora’s approach is to integrate into existing freight infrastructure while expanding autonomous operations.

About Aurora Innovation (NASDAQ:AUR) Aurora Innovation, Inc is a technology company specializing in the development of self-driving vehicle systems for both passenger and commercial applications. Headquartered in Mountain View, California, Aurora has built an end-to-end platform—known as the Aurora Driver—that integrates proprietary software, machine learning algorithms and a suite of sensors (LiDAR, radar and cameras) to enable vehicles to operate safely and efficiently in diverse driving environments.

The company’s core business revolves around designing, testing and deploying its autonomy stack on vehicles from established automotive and transportation partners.

Top 5 AI & Autonomy Stocks Trading Under $15 With Big PotentialAurora Innovation NASDAQ: AUR executives said the company expects to reach at least 200 commercially operating, fully driverless trucks on public roads in 2026, supported by contracted capacity and growing customer demand for its Driver-as-a-Service offering.

During a town hall with retail investors, CEO and Chairman Chris Urmson and CFO Dave Maday discussed Aurora’s technology position, production plans, financing approach, customer adoption and operational expansion. The company said it would not provide financial outlook beyond its previously issued 2026 guidance.

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Technology and competitive position 3 High-Risk, High-Reward Stocks With Explosive UpsideUrmson said advances in artificial intelligence are helping Aurora’s business but argued that AI alone does not solve the challenge of deploying autonomous technology in safety-critical trucking applications.

“There’s a big gap between a demo you could vibe code together” and industrializing autonomous driving for an 80,000-pound vehicle traveling at highway speeds, Urmson said. He pointed to Aurora’s investments in three generations of hardware, its supply-chain relationships, customer network and operating experience as elements of a defensible competitive advantage.

NVIDIA Deal Ignites Aurora Stock’s Explosive PotentialUrmson said Aurora is currently the only company operating driverless trucks on public roads and believes its first-mover position will compound as customers gain experience with the Aurora Driver. He said the company expects its technology to continue improving in areas including dynamic rerouting, operating efficiency, weather capability and fleet availability.

Aurora expects to operate in light snow and colder weather by the end of the year, Urmson said. For severe conditions such as flooding, black ice or heavy storms, he said the system continuously monitors its environment and can slow down, seek a safe location, pull over or stop when appropriate. Aurora also uses a command-center function to proactively avoid routes affected by significant weather events, according to Urmson.

Production capacity and route growth Maday said Aurora is fully contracted to support its 2026 target of at least 200 driverless commercial trucks. He added that Roush is expected to have capacity to build 20 trucks per week by October, equivalent to roughly 1,000 trucks annually.

The company also cited Volvo’s previously announced plan for up to 300 trucks by 2027, as well as Aurora’s relationships with Fabrinet for second-generation hardware kits and AUMOVIO for its third-generation hardware. Urmson said Aurora is working with PACCAR on a platform intended to support line-side installation of the third-generation hardware, though he did not provide a timeline.

Aurora expects to operate 20 to 25 trucks by the end of the third quarter and 200 trucks by year-end, Maday said. The company has 10 approved driverless routes and 12 active routes overall, including Dallas-to-Oklahoma City routes. Its 2026 fleet is expected to operate on those routes.

Urmson said the time required to open new lanes has declined substantially. He said Aurora’s first lane took about eight years to develop, while its second opened in roughly six months and its third in six weeks. The company expects to expand across the Sun Belt this year and across more of the U.S. in subsequent years, with route priorities driven largely by customer demand.

Maday said Aurora expects to cover a large portion of the Sun Belt by the beginning of 2028, including California, representing about 60 billion vehicle miles traveled.

Customer demand and value proposition Executives said Aurora is already generating revenue from customers and is seeing demand beyond its available 2026 capacity. Urmson said customers have moved from evaluating the technology to receiving contracts for driverless operations, although he noted that fleet operators need time to become comfortable with a new technology.

Maday said customers in Aurora’s Driver-as-a-Service model do not purchase the autonomous hardware separately; the hardware is embedded in the subscription price. He said customers are evaluating the technology through total cost of ownership, safety and operating benefits rather than through a conventional capital-investment payback calculation.

Labor savings and potential fuel savings of 10% to 32% as optimization progresses. Reduced insurance overhead. More than 20 hours of potential daily vehicle operation without driver hours-of-service limitations. The ability for a 200-truck autonomous fleet to provide service comparable to 400 human-driven trucks, according to Maday. Maday cited Hirschbach’s outlined plans to purchase 500 Aurora Driver-equipped trucks in 2027 and 2028 as an example of longer-term customer demand. He said Aurora is actively negotiating additional Driver-as-a-Service commitments with large enterprise customers.

Liquidity and operational integration Maday said Aurora had $1.2 billion in liquidity, which the company believes is sufficient to reach positive free cash flow in 2028. He said Aurora expects to use its at-the-market equity program in the near term primarily to cover tax liabilities and cash bonus payments in 2027, while retaining the ability to use it opportunistically.

Addressing recent sales by insiders and affiliated funds, Urmson said the transactions were not indicative of undisclosed information about Aurora’s business. He attributed the activity primarily to venture-capital fund cycles and technical issues related to returning capital following Aurora’s public listing through a special purpose acquisition company transaction.

On daily operations, Urmson said Aurora is focused initially on highway driving and drop-and-hook operations rather than backing into docks. Fueling may occur at customer sites or through existing truck-stop infrastructure, while inspections and roadside repairs will continue to involve people and service providers such as Ryder. He said Aurora’s approach is to integrate into existing freight infrastructure while expanding autonomous operations.

About Aurora Innovation (NASDAQ:AUR)Aurora Innovation, Inc is a technology company specializing in the development of self-driving vehicle systems for both passenger and commercial applications. Headquartered in Mountain View, California, Aurora has built an end-to-end platform—known as the Aurora Driver—that integrates proprietary software, machine learning algorithms and a suite of sensors (LiDAR, radar and cameras) to enable vehicles to operate safely and efficiently in diverse driving environments.

The company's core business revolves around designing, testing and deploying its autonomy stack on vehicles from established automotive and transportation partners.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].

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Aurora Innovation (NASDAQ:AUR | AUR Price Prediction) closed down 11.8% at $6.15 on August 18, 2026, giving the autonomous trucking pioneer a market capitalization of roughly $12.3 billion. Shares are still up 60.2% year to date and 1.5% higher over the past month, but down 4.5% year over year and 37.6% lower over five years.

Aurora’s Q2 FY2026 revenue of $2.00 million beat the $1.61 million consensus by 24.22%; GAAP EPS of −$0.14 missed the −$0.12 consensus. Net loss widened to $270 million on operating cash use of approximately $225 million. Liquidity came in at $136 million in cash plus $1.081 billion in short-term investments, with only $82 million in total debt. Full-year 2026 guidance calls for $14 million to $16 million in revenue, more than 200 driverless trucks in operation by year end, an $80 million TaaS annualized run-rate exiting 2026, and the DaaS model launching in 2027.

No deal talks are confirmed. What follows is strategic logic based on public information.

Why a Strategic Buyer Would Want It Aurora is the only company operating driverless Class 8 trucks on U.S. public roads at scale. It has logged over 6 million cumulative commercial miles through June 30, 2026, and nearly 440,000 driverless miles, achieving 100% on-time performance and zero Aurora Driver-attributed collisions. Its proprietary FirstLight FMCW lidar carries a one-kilometer range, and second-generation hardware is engineered for 1 million miles with a 50%-plus cost reduction. Regulatory tailwinds are compounding, with California joining the majority of states permitting driverless truck deployment and the BUILD America 250 Act clearing committee 62 to 2. CEO Chris Urmson said, “If you’re not using our stuff in the next five years, you just won’t be competitive in long haul.”

Ranking the Plausible Acquirers 5. Uber Technologies (NYSE:UBER). Uber Freight is a verified logistics partner, and CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said Uber is “building the world’s largest platform for autonomous vehicles.” However, Uber divested 67.5 million Aurora Innovation shares on June 2, 2026, at $7.10, signaling a lighter equity posture.

4. Nvidia (NASDAQ:NVDA). Nvidia compute anchors Aurora’s third-generation hardware kit via DRIVE Thor. However, Nvidia sells to the whole industry and has never bought a fleet operator.

3. FedEx (NYSE:FDX). FedEx is a verified Aurora customer and generated $94.72 billion in TTM revenue. The offset here is balance sheet discipline and network-first transformation, with EBITDA of $11.84 billion tied to internal projects.

2. Volvo Group. It has the deepest integration of any partner. Volvo VNL Autonomous is guided to begin driverless operations in Q1 2027, exit 2027 with more than 300 driverless trucks, and reach $3 billion in autonomous revenue within five years. Volvo stock trades outside the United States.

1. PACCAR (NASDAQ:PCAR). PACCAR and Aurora are jointly defining the scalable launch of the third-generation kit on PACCAR assembly lines. The truck maker has $27.82 billion in TTM revenue and conservative, self-funded engineering culture, the primary offset.

What About Private Equity or Alternative Capital? A traditional leveraged buyout (LBO) is impractical against quarterly cash use of $190 million to $220 million on $2 million in quarterly revenue. Realistic alternatives include:

Continued ATM issuance (Aurora raised $215 million in net proceeds via ATM in Q2) A strategic private investment in public equity (PIPE) anchored by an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) Expanded structured arrangement with Volvo, PACCAR, or Aumovio Each ranks below a strategic acquisition.

What to Watch The analysts’ mean price target of $11.22 signals 82.4% upside in the next 12 months.

Concrete catalysts include:

20 to 25 second-gen trucks by end of Q3 2026 The Roush ramp to a 1,000-truck annual run-rate in October Whether Q4 delivers the majority of full-year revenue The 2027 DaaS transition The Hirschbach 500-truck MOU Any 13D/13G filing would matter.

As mentioned, no deal is on the table today. The question is whether the freight industry can afford to let Aurora stay independent.

Contact [email protected] for any questions or corrections.

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PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aurora Innovation, Inc. (NASDAQ: AUR) today announced it will host a virtual Retail Investor Town Hall with Co-founder and CEO Chris Urmson and CFO David Maday on August 20, 2026 from 12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m. Eastern time. The event will be livestreamed at Aurora Retail Investor Town Hall.

Investors are invited to submit questions for management prior to the livestream via the submission page. Question submissions and upvoting will be available until August 20, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. Eastern time.

A replay will be available for 30 days following the event.

Investors can email [email protected] for any support inquiries.

About Aurora

Aurora (Nasdaq: AUR) is delivering the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly to make transportation safer, increasingly accessible, and more reliable and efficient than ever before. The Aurora Driver is a self-driving system designed to operate multiple vehicle types, from freight-hauling trucks to ride-hailing passenger vehicles, and underpins Aurora’s driver as a service product for trucking. Aurora is working with industry leaders across the transportation ecosystem, including AUMOVIO, FedEx, Hirschbach, McLane, NVIDIA, PACCAR, Ryder, Schneider, Toyota, Uber, Uber Freight, Volvo Trucks, Volvo Autonomous Solutions, and Werner. To learn more, visit aurora.tech.

Aurora Overview
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Aurora Innovation is progressing toward commercial scaling of its business and is targeting an $80M revenue run-rate exiting the year. This will be enabled by next-gen hardware that dramatically reduces costs and maturing customer relationships. Increased cash burn, execution risk, and uncertainty about industry economics long-term are significant risks.

Top 5 AI & Autonomy Stocks Trading Under $15 With Big PotentialAurora Innovation NASDAQ: AUR said its second-quarter business review marked the beginning of its commercial scaling phase for driverless trucking, citing new customer agreements, the launch of its second-generation Aurora Driver platform and plans to operate 200 driverless trucks by year-end.

Chief Executive Officer and co-founder Chris Urmson said Aurora has launched a new fleet of driverless trucks based on the International LT Series and introduced Aurora Driver 2, which combines new software, second-generation commercial hardware and the truck platform. The company said it is fully allocated to exit 2026 with 200 driverless trucks in operation and is negotiating with prospective Driver-as-a-Service customers for 2027 and beyond.

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Customer Agreements and Network Expansion 3 High-Risk, High-Reward Stocks With Explosive UpsideAurora said it recently executed Transportation-as-a-Service agreements with Charger Logistics and Value Truck. Charger Logistics plans to use Aurora Driver-powered trucks to add capacity and improve utilization on the Dallas-to-Laredo route. Value Truck initially plans to use the technology on Dallas-to-Laredo and Fort Worth-to-Phoenix corridors.

The company also expanded operations with Volvo Autonomous Solutions, which launched commercial freight service using the Aurora Driver for DSV and AVI-SPL. Urmson said each new customer can act as a “pipeline multiplier” as logistics providers gain confidence in autonomous trucking.

NVIDIA Deal Ignites Aurora Stock’s Explosive PotentialSince launching driverless operations, Aurora said its trucks completed nearly 440,000 driverless miles through the end of June, with 100% on-time performance and no Aurora Driver-attributed collisions. The company expects driverless mileage to accelerate as additional trucks enter service.

Aurora also began driverless operations for Detmar Logistics between a Midland, Texas, facility and a Capital Sand mining site in Monahans, Texas. The deployment involved validating a frac sand trailer with what the company described as minimal integration work.

To support longer operations, Aurora has begun supervised testing of way-station navigation and on-route fueling. In current truck-stop pilots, personnel fuel trucks while the Aurora Driver navigates into and out of fuel islands. The company said it expects truck-stop staff eventually to use automated arrival notifications to secure, fuel and release autonomous trucks.

Hardware Scale-Up and OEM Partnerships Urmson said Aurora Driver 2’s second-generation hardware kit is engineered for 1 million miles of operation and is intended to improve uptime and reliability. The company expects the system to reduce Aurora Driver hardware costs by more than 50%, supporting its gross-margin objectives.

The hardware includes a more efficient computer and an extended 1-kilometer range for Aurora’s FirstLight frequency-modulated continuous-wave lidar. Aurora said the range provides more than 34 seconds of reaction time at highway speeds.

Aurora expects to have 20 to 25 driverless International trucks in operation by the end of the third quarter. Its upfitting partner, Roush, has begun manufacturing at a dedicated Aurora facility, with Aurora expecting Roush to reach an annual production run rate of 1,000 trucks in October.

By year-end, Aurora expects its operating fleet to consist of International and Volvo trucks, while it phases out Peterbilt trucks that had been used with first-generation hardware. Aurora expects to reintroduce Peterbilt vehicles with its third-generation hardware in the future.

Volvo Autonomous Solutions plans to begin driverless operations of Volvo VNL Autonomous trucks powered by the Aurora Driver in the first quarter of 2027, Aurora said. Volvo has said it expects to exit 2027 with more than 300 driverless trucks and projects $3 billion in autonomous revenue within five years, according to Urmson.

Aurora is also working with AUMOVIO on third-generation hardware intended to support tens of thousands of trucks, with planned production beginning in the second half of 2027. Separately, PACCAR and Aurora are defining a path to integrate the third-generation kit into PACCAR’s future autonomy-enabled truck platform.

Regulatory and Safety Developments Urmson said California has joined other states in permitting deployment of driverless trucks, and Aurora has submitted an application to begin required driver testing in the state. At the federal level, he highlighted the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee’s 62-to-2 approval in May of the BUILD America 250 Act, which includes a framework for nationwide autonomous-truck deployment.

The CEO also described a recent development-mission collision in Fort Worth involving an Aurora truck operating in manual mode. The truck was driven by a vehicle operator and the Aurora Driver system was not engaged, he said. Another vehicle entered an intersection against a red light and collided with the truck. No serious injuries were reported, though both vehicles sustained significant damage.

Aurora said its subsequent log review and simulation found that the Aurora Driver detected the red-light-running vehicle nearly six seconds before the collision and would have slowed to avoid the incident despite having the right of way.

Second-Quarter Results and Outlook Chief Financial Officer David Maday said second-quarter revenue totaled $2 million from driverless and vehicle-operator-supervised commercial loads. Aurora reported an operating loss of $266 million, including $60 million of stock-based compensation.

Research and development expense, excluding stock-based compensation: $164 million Selling, general and administrative expense, excluding stock-based compensation: $37 million Cost of revenue, excluding stock-based compensation: $7 million Operating cash use: approximately $225 million Capital expenditures: $31 million Aurora issued 30 million Class A shares through its at-the-market program during the quarter, generating $215 million in net proceeds. The company ended the period with nearly $1.2 billion in cash and short-term investments.

The company reaffirmed its expectation for 2026 revenue of $14 million to $16 million, with more than half of annual revenue expected in the fourth quarter as the new fleet scales. Aurora expects its year-end fleet of more than 200 driverless trucks to represent an approximately $80 million Transportation-as-a-Service revenue run rate.

Maday said Aurora expects average quarterly cash use of approximately $190 million to $220 million during 2026, including about $150 million of full-year capital expenditures, primarily related to its capacity plan. The company expects its Driver-as-a-Service model to begin in 2027, though it anticipates a customer-by-customer transition from Transportation-as-a-Service rather than an immediate change at the start of the year.

About Aurora Innovation (NASDAQ:AUR)Aurora Innovation, Inc is a technology company specializing in the development of self-driving vehicle systems for both passenger and commercial applications. Headquartered in Mountain View, California, Aurora has built an end-to-end platform—known as the Aurora Driver—that integrates proprietary software, machine learning algorithms and a suite of sensors (LiDAR, radar and cameras) to enable vehicles to operate safely and efficiently in diverse driving environments.

The company's core business revolves around designing, testing and deploying its autonomy stack on vehicles from established automotive and transportation partners.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to [email protected].

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PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)---- $AUR #AutonomousVehicles--Aurora Innovation, Inc. (NASDAQ: AUR) today announced its second quarter 2026 results. Aurora's shareholder letter and financial results are available on its investor relations website at ir.aurora.tech. “To meet accelerating demand for our product, we've launched Aurora Driver 2 – our second-generation hardware and advanced software on a new driverless truck platform,” said Chris Urmson, co-founder and CEO of Aurora. “Backed by recent customer contracts, strong mom.

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)---- $AUR #AutonomousVehicles--Aurora Innovation, Inc. (NASDAQ: AUR), the leader in self-driving freight, today announced a new customer agreement to begin driverless hauls on its second-generation driverless truck. Charger Logistics will use the Aurora Driver to add capacity on its network and drive higher utilization – starting between Dallas and Laredo, one of its busiest freight lanes in the Sun Belt.“Our new fleet of driverless trucks enables us to meet the substantial demand we've seen since we.

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)---- $AUR #autonomoustrucking--Aurora Innovation, Inc. (NASDAQ: AUR), the leader in self-driving freight, today announced a new customer agreement to begin driverless hauls with the Aurora Driver. The deal coincides with the arrival of Aurora's second-generation driverless trucks – a milestone that positions the company to meet the accelerating demand for the Aurora Driver. Value Truck plans to use the Aurora Driver to move freight more efficiently, especially in U.S. border cities like Laredo, Texas.

PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)---- $AUR #autonomoustrucking--Aurora Innovation, Inc. (NASDAQ: AUR), the leader in self-driving freight, has launched its second-generation driverless trucks. Aurora plans to deploy the new fleet across its commercial network, which currently encompasses 10 driverless routes throughout the U.S. Sun Belt, to serve additional customers.Aurora made history when it deployed Class 8 trucks powered by the Aurora Driver, its self-driving system, on public roads last year. As of the end of June, the Auro.

Shares of Aurora Innovation (AUR 0.25%) jumped 77.6% higher in the first half of 2026, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. The self-driving truck start-up is beginning to show growth momentum as it develops new routes for customers, even though revenue over the last 12 months was still under $10 million.

At $6.10 as of this writing on July 14, 2026, Aurora Innovation is still well below its price when it went public through a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC) in 2021. Here's why the stock was up so much in 2026, and whether you should buy shares as its growth starts to pick up.

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Scaling autonomous trucks Aurora Innovation builds hardware and software for self-driving vehicles, specifically for large semi-trucks. With millions of trucks operating in the United States, the company's goal is to expand nationwide for these highway drivers, who face much simpler routes than city drivers.

It is currently focused on the southwest, with 12 distinct routes between cities in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. Still, it is very early days for the business, which generated just $1 million in revenue last quarter. Revenue is projected to grow to $14 million to $16 million in 2026, driven by new contracts, representing 400% growth at the midpoint. Growth momentum -- even from this small base -- is what has investors excited about Aurora stock at the moment.

The trucking industry in the United States is massive. If a company like Aurora Innovation can be a leader in self-driving technology nationwide, there is probably a revenue opportunity in the billions from selling this hardware-and-software bundle alone.

Image source: Getty Images.

Should you buy Aurora Innovation stock? Right now, Aurora's financials do not match up with this investor optimism. Free cash flow was negative $646 million over the last twelve months, while revenue was just $4 million. The company does have over $1 billion in cash on the balance sheet as of the last quarter, but that will only provide it with around two years of cash burn at current rates.

Investors are right to be optimistic about Aurora Innovation's growth potential, but the stock's current valuation is getting ahead of itself. Shares currently have a market cap of $12 billion. Even if revenue reaches $1 billion over the next few years (unlikely), the stock still looks overvalued.

PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)---- $AUR #AutonomousVehicles--Aurora Innovation, Inc. (NASDAQ: AUR) today announced it will release second quarter 2026 results after market close on July 29, 2026 and will host a business review conference call that day at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time. The conference call will be webcast on Aurora's investor relations website at ir.aurora.tech. A replay of the webcast will be available for 30 days following the call.About AuroraAurora (Nasdaq: AUR) is delivering the benefits of self-driving technology.

[url="]Edge Case[/url] today announced it has partnered with [url="]Aurora Innovation Inc.[/url] (NASDAQ: AUR) and reviewed its Safety Case, establishing a new

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Aurora Innovation (AUR +1.59%), a developer of self-driving technology for various vehicle types and applications, closed Thursday at $5.88, up 15.52%. The stock moved higher after news of an expanded Hirschbach partnership outlining 500 Aurora Driver-powered trucks and a potential multi-year revenue stream in the hundreds of millions. Investors will be following closely regarding the execution of the planned commercial rollout.

The company’s trading volume reached 59.2 million shares, which is  about 208% above compared with its three-month average of 19 million shares. Aurora Innovation went public in 2021 and has fallen 41% since its IPO.

How the markets moved todayThe S&P 500 (^GSPC +0.47%) rose 1.02% to finish Thursday at 7,209, while the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC +0.36%) gained 0.89% to close at 24,892. Among autonomous vehicle technology peers, Alphabet (GOOGL +1.15%) closed at $381.94 (+9.97%) and Tesla (TSLA +1.17%) finished at $381.63 (+2.37%), reflecting strong interest in advanced mobility platforms.

What this means for investorsAurora Innovation shares climbed after the company and Hirschbach Motor Lines announced a non-binding plan to scale up to 500 Aurora Driver-powered trucks for Hirschbach’s autonomous fleet, with deliveries expected to begin in 2027. The proposed deployment envisions up to 500 million driverless miles and a multi-year revenue opportunity in the hundreds of millions of dollars, while final commercial terms remain subject to binding agreements.

The announcement gives Aurora a clearer path from early freight operations toward commercial autonomous trucking, but the stock’s next test is whether these plans translate into binding commitments and actual revenue from delivering paid, driverless miles. Future updates on binding customer commitments, actual truck deployments, and paid driverless miles on commercial routes will determine whether the Hirschbach plan becomes a sustainable and repeatable source of revenue.

Eric Trie has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet and Tesla. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Aurora expands freight network and V.A.S. starts operations to customer endpoints

OKLAHOMA CITY--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aurora Innovation, Inc. (NASDAQ: AUR) and Volvo Autonomous Solutions (V.A.S.) today announced the expansion of their autonomous freight network with a new 200-mile route between Dallas and Oklahoma City. The expansion marks a significant milestone as V.A.S. begins hauling freight to customer facilities in Oklahoma City with the Volvo VNL Autonomous integrated with the Aurora Driver.

Expanding to New Freight Markets

The Oklahoma City program currently supports trips five days a week in supervised autonomy. By logging hundreds of miles, the Volvo VNL Autonomous integrated with the Aurora Driver supports safer, quicker, and more efficient movement of goods, enabling V.A.S. to provide a premium service.

By operating directly to customer facilities, V.A.S. can reduce the need for drayage moves and additional handoffs, helping remove complexity from the logistics flow. Customers also benefit from Volvo’s extensive dealer network, robust service support, and proven uptime capabilities, helping them adopt autonomous transport while maintaining efficiency.

“Expanding our operations into Oklahoma City and adding customer endpoints is an important step for scaling autonomous transport,” said Sasko Cuklev, Head of On-Road Solutions at Volvo Autonomous Solutions. “Running end-to-end requires a higher level of operational precision and integration, and it further demonstrates how autonomous trucks can operate reliably in real logistics environments. Together with Aurora we are focused on expanding our network and accelerating the adoption of this new and exciting technology.”

“Leveraging our technology to open new routes quickly and efficiently is a core part of our strategy,” said Ossa Fisher, President of Aurora. “Aurora and Volvo are firing on all cylinders and our ability to execute together at scale is clear. As Volvo’s most advanced autonomy partner, we are proud to be the first to deploy the Volvo VNL Autonomous across multiple states.”

The launch also highlights the maturity of the Aurora Driver to meet VAS’ customer demand. Within weeks, Aurora mapped the Dallas-to-Oklahoma City interstate route and began autonomous hauls.

Leading the Industry in Safety and Scale

Volvo, the global leader in safety innovation, and Aurora, the leader in self-driving truck technology, have combined complementary expertise to deliver autonomous trucks at scale – setting the standard for integration, reliability, and safety along the way.

The companies revealed the purpose-built Volvo VNL Autonomous at the 2024 ACT Expo. Last year, line-side integration of the Aurora Driver with the Volvo VNL began at Volvo’s New River facility, the largest Volvo production facility in the world. Volvo plans to build hundreds of these trucks in 2027. Supported by strong technical and commercial momentum, Aurora and V.A.S. are now in the final validation phase for driverless operations.

About Volvo Autonomous Solutions

Volvo Autonomous Solutions (V.A.S.) is the business area within the Volvo Group focused on developing and commercializing autonomous transport solutions in selected industry verticals. V.A.S. delivers end-to-end autonomous transport solutions that combine a purpose-built vehicle, a virtual driver, required infrastructure, operations and uptime support, and a fleet management system that orchestrates transport operations and manages logistics flows. Solutions are tailored to each customer’s needs and designed to support safer, more productive and more sustainable operations.

About Aurora

Aurora (Nasdaq: AUR) is delivering the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly to make transportation safer, increasingly accessible, and more reliable and efficient than ever before. The Aurora Driver is a self-driving system designed to operate multiple vehicle types, from freight-hauling trucks to ride-hailing passenger vehicles, and underpins Aurora’s driver as a service product for trucking. Aurora is working with industry leaders across the transportation ecosystem, including AUMOVIO, FedEx, Hirschbach, NVIDIA, PACCAR, Ryder, Schneider, Toyota, Uber, Uber Freight, Volvo Trucks, Volvo Autonomous Solutions, and Werner. To learn more, visit aurora.tech.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including but not limited to, those statements around our driverless operations and future financial and operating performance; our ability to meet customer demand, reduce costs and general expectations beyond that year; the safety benefits of our technology and product; our ability to achieve certain milestones around, and realize the potential benefits of, the development, manufacturing, scaling and commercialization of the Aurora Driver and related services, on the timeframe we expect or at all; our relationships with our partners and customers and anticipated benefits that they may derive from our product; and the anticipated impact of our product on the freight industry and economy. These statements are based on management’s current assumptions and are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. For factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, please see the risks and uncertainties identified under the heading “Risk Factors” section of Aurora Innovation, Inc.’s (“Aurora”) Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on February 11, 2026, and other documents filed by Aurora from time to time with the SEC, which are accessible on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. Additional information will also be set forth in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2026. All forward-looking statements reflect our beliefs and assumptions only as of the date of this press release. Aurora undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.

More News From Aurora Innovation, Inc.

After a successful pilot program with one of the largest private fleets in America, Aurora transitions to driverless commercial operations on select routes

DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aurora Innovation, Inc. (NASDAQ: AUR) and McLane Company, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway (NYSE: BRK.A) subsidiary, today announced an agreement to begin driverless hauls in Texas with the Aurora Driver, an SAE L4 self-driving system that is first being deployed in long-haul trucking. The partnership enables McLane – one of the largest distributors in America, serving chain restaurants, convenience stores, and mass merchants – to move supplies and perishable food more efficiently for America’s most beloved restaurant brands with autonomous trucks.

“The business of moving food is essential to our economy and our way of life. With a 134-year legacy, McLane is deeply woven into the American distribution industry,” said Ossa Fisher, president at Aurora. “We’re excited to enter the next chapter with McLane and transform the American food supply chain with autonomous trucks. Our collective momentum in logistics is palpable."

Proven Safety and Reliability

The companies began their supervised autonomy pilot in 2023. Since then, the Aurora Driver logged over 280,000 autonomous miles in Texas and delivered 1,400 loads for McLane, helping it serve restaurant customers across the state.

Based on Aurora's record of safely delivering goods for McLane with 100% on-time performance, McLane approved the transition to driverless operations between Dallas and Houston. Aurora plans to expand to new routes between McLane distribution centers across the U.S. Sun Belt by the end of the year, with plans to serve additional McLane business in the future.

“We’ve been thoroughly impressed with Aurora’s technology, exceptional safety performance and commitment to operational excellence,” said Susan Adzick, president of McLane Restaurant. “Autonomous technology helps us drive greater efficiency across the supply chain, while our drivers remain focused on the critical last mile—and continuing to serve as the face of our company to customers.”

Strengthening the Supply Chain with Autonomy

During the pilot, Aurora met the demands of McLane’s rigorous schedule, expanding to two round-trips daily between Dallas and Houston, seven days a week. The workflow utilizes a hybrid model: the Aurora Driver manages the long-haul ‘middle mile,’ while McLane drivers handle local deliveries to customer locations. This hybrid model with autonomous and human drivers will continue as the companies deepen their work together.

Autonomous trucks moving refrigerated hauls 24/7 offer scalable, reliable capacity that can flex with demand—bringing greater efficiency to operations and helping address ongoing labor constraints. By supporting more consistent transit schedules and dependable middle-mile coverage, the Aurora Driver helps keep freight moving smoothly.

About Aurora

Aurora (Nasdaq: AUR) is delivering the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly to make transportation safer, increasingly accessible, and more reliable and efficient than ever before. The Aurora Driver is a self-driving system designed to operate multiple vehicle types, from freight-hauling trucks to ride-hailing passenger vehicles, and underpins Aurora’s driver as a service product for trucking. Aurora is working with industry leaders across the transportation ecosystem, including AUMOVIO, FedEx, Hirschbach, NVIDIA, PACCAR, Ryder, Schneider, Toyota, Uber, Uber Freight, Volvo Trucks, Volvo Autonomous Solutions, and Werner. To learn more, visit aurora.tech.

About McLane

Founded in 1894, McLane Company Inc. is one of the largest distributors in America, serving convenience stores, mass merchants, and chain restaurants. As an industry-leading partner to the biggest retail and restaurant businesses, McLane buys, sells, delivers, and serves the world’s most beloved brands. With headquarters in Temple, Texas, McLane has more than 80 distribution centers across the country, employs more than 25,000 teammates, and delivers to nearly every zip code in the US. McLane is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway, Inc.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including but not limited to, those statements around our driverless operations and future financial and operating performance; our ability to meet customer demand, reduce costs and general expectations beyond that year; the safety benefits of our technology and product; our ability to achieve certain milestones around, and realize the potential benefits of, the development, manufacturing, scaling and commercialization of the Aurora Driver and related services, on the timeframe we expect or at all; our relationships with our partners and customers and anticipated benefits that they may derive from our product; and the anticipated impact of our product on the freight industry and economy. Statements in this press release about McLane’s intent to expand its partnership reflect current plans and discussions, and whether that intent is finalized and results in binding orders is subject to definitive documentation, which may not occur on the expected timeline, or at all. These statements are based on management’s current assumptions and are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. For factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, please see the risks and uncertainties identified under the heading “Risk Factors” section of Aurora Innovation, Inc.’s (“Aurora”) Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”) on February 11, 2026, and other documents filed by Aurora from time to time with the SEC, which are accessible on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. Additional information will also be set forth in our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2026. All forward-looking statements reflect our beliefs and assumptions only as of the date of this press release. Aurora undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.

More News From Aurora Innovation, Inc.

Aurora Innovation will start hauling loads in driverless trucks for distribution giant McLane, the latest company to adopt the startup’s autonomous vehicle technology following a multi-year pilot program.

Under the commercial agreement announced Wednesday, trucks outfitted with Aurora’s self-driving system will be used to transport goods between Dallas and Houston. These trucks will operate autonomously and will not have a human safety driver on board who can take over. However, Aurora will still have what it describes as a “human observer” sitting in the cab — who does not operate the vehicle — per an agreement it has with truck manufacturer Paccar.

Aurora said it plans to expand to new routes between McLane distribution centers across the U.S. Sun Belt by the end of the year.

The companies launched a pilot program in 2023 using autonomous trucks with a human safety operator. The pilot eventually expanded to two round-trips daily between Dallas and Houston.

McLane recently approved moving to driverless operations, which now run seven days a week between the two Texas cities.

The companies are taking a novel approach to this route, using Aurora’s driverless tech for the long-haul portion of the trip before handing it over to a McLane truck driver who makes local deliveries to customers like fast food restaurants. Aurora said this handoff occurs at the company’s Dallas and Houston terminals located right off the freeway.

The commercial contract is the latest win for Aurora as it tries to transition from a developer of autonomous trucks to a commercial operator earning money on its driverless routes. And it comes a year after the company launched its commercial self-driving truck service in Texas. Since then, Aurora has landed a commercial agreement to haul frac sand for Detmar Logistics. Last month, Hirschbach Motor Lines agreed to buy 500 Aurora-powered trucks; that agreement, which is outlined in a memorandum of understanding, is expected to close later this year.

Today, the company operates driverless trucks — some with a human observer still in the cab — on routes between Dallas and Houston, Fort Worth and El Paso, El Paso and Phoenix, Fort Worth and Phoenix, and Laredo and Dallas.

Aurora reports its first-quarter earnings Wednesday after the markets close.

When you purchase through links in our articles, we may earn a small commission. This doesn’t affect our editorial independence.

Kirsten Korosec is a reporter and editor who has covered the future of transportation from EVs and autonomous vehicles to urban air mobility and in-car tech for more than a decade. She is currently the transportation editor at TechCrunch and co-host of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast. She is also co-founder and co-host of the podcast, “The Autonocast.” She previously wrote for Fortune, The Verge, Bloomberg, MIT Technology Review and CBS Interactive.

You can contact or verify outreach from Kirsten by emailing [email protected] or via encrypted message at kkorosec.07 on Signal.

PITTSBURGH--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aurora Innovation, Inc. (NASDAQ: AUR) today announced its first quarter 2026 results. Aurora's shareholder letter and financial results are available on its investor relations website at ir.aurora.tech.

“We are hitting a new gear - we are on the cusp of launching a new platform and are on track to put hundreds of driverless trucks on the road this year,” said Chris Urmson, co-founder and CEO of Aurora.

Share “We are hitting a new gear - we are on the cusp of launching a new platform and are on track to put hundreds of driverless trucks on the road this year,” said Chris Urmson, co-founder and CEO of Aurora. “We're also seeing incredible customer momentum with early adopters like Hirschbach planning for 500 Aurora Driver-powered trucks. The industry sees the value of the Aurora Driver and what it can do for their businesses."

Business Highlights

Next-Gen Hardware at Scale: Aurora remains on track to launch its second-generation hardware kit on the International® LT® Series vehicle, enabling driverless operations without a partner-requested observer in Q2. Aurora’s next-generation hardware is built to last for a million miles while reducing overall cost by more than half. Aurora anticipates deploying more than 200 driverless trucks by the end of the year. Scaling Driver as a Service: Aurora continues to see significant commercial demand. Notably, Hirschbach has plans to scale their autonomous fleet, with intent to own and operate 500 trucks through Aurora’s Driver as a Service (DaaS) business model. This represents a potential multi-year revenue stream in the hundreds of millions of dollars, with truck delivery slated to begin in 2027. Blue-Chip Customer Adoption: Aurora recently started driverless hauls for McLane Company, Inc., a Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary. Aurora now has seven customers within its driverless cohort. Rapid Route Expansion: Aurora validated driverless operations on the bidirectional routes between Dallas and Laredo within just six weeks of initiating supervised autonomous runs. Aurora has also opened a new bi-directional route between Dallas and Oklahoma City, where the Aurora Driver is powering supervised autonomy for a key Volvo Autonomous Solutions customer. The company will host a business review conference call today, May 6, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern time. The conference call will be webcast on Aurora's investor relations website at ir.aurora.tech, and an accompanying presentation has also been posted to the website. A replay of the webcast will be available for 30 days following the call.

About Aurora

Aurora (Nasdaq: AUR) is delivering the benefits of self-driving technology safely, quickly, and broadly to make transportation safer, increasingly accessible, and more reliable and efficient than ever before. The Aurora Driver is a self-driving system designed to operate multiple vehicle types, from freight-hauling trucks to ride-hailing passenger vehicles, and underpins Aurora’s driver as a service product for trucking. Aurora is working with industry leaders across the transportation ecosystem, including AUMOVIO, FedEx, Hirschbach, McLane, NVIDIA, PACCAR, Ryder, Schneider, Toyota, Uber, Uber Freight, Volvo Trucks, Volvo Autonomous Solutions, and Werner. To learn more, visit aurora.tech.

Cautionary Statement Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. All statements contained in this press release that do not relate to matters of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements, including but not limited to, the prospects of the development, manufacturing, scaling (including, but not limited to, the lane expansion strategy, the transition to our DaaS model, fleet size, fleet ownership, and our product’s availability and capabilities) and commercialization, and realization of the potential benefits, of the Aurora Driver and related services and technology; the relationships and anticipated benefits with customers and partners (including, but not limited to, our ability to finalize and execute on customer contracts or orders, and whether customer intentions to order, such as Hirschbach’s non-binding MOU result in binding agreements and orders); the timing for developing, and the anticipated benefits of, future generations of hardware kits; the anticipated impact of our product on the freight industry and economy; and our financial performance, anticipated investment in truck fleet and expected cash use and cash runway. These statements are based on management’s current assumptions and are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. For factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the forward-looking statements in this press release, please see the risks and uncertainties identified under the heading “Risk Factors” section of Aurora Innovation, Inc.’s (“Aurora”) Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025, filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC) on February 11, 2026, and other documents filed by Aurora from time to time with the SEC, which are accessible on the SEC website at www.sec.gov. Additional information will also be set forth in Aurora’s Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2026. All forward-looking statements reflect our beliefs and assumptions only as of the date of this press release. Aurora undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect future events or circumstances.

More News From Aurora Innovation, Inc.

Aurora Innovation, Inc. (AUR) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript

Shares of Aurora Innovation (AUR +1.59%) shot up 16% this week, according to data from S&P Global Market Intelligence. The autonomous driving technology company posted earnings this week and announced a new route for its semi-truck partnerships.

Aurora Innovation's stock is up 80% this year. Here's why the stock was soaring yet again this week, and whether now is a great time to buy this red-hot stock.

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Earnings release and new partnerships Autonomous vehicles are growing in popularity across the United States, and Aurora Innovation is trying to get in on the trend. However, instead of serving passenger drivers, Aurora is looking to win contracts for self-driving routes for long-haul trucks.

It is still in the early stages, but it just launched a new truck route with Volvo between Dallas and Oklahoma City. The opportunity in self-driving trucks is massive, with millions operating in the United States at any one time. By the end of 2026, management aims to have 200 trucks in its fleet and $80 million in run-rate revenue. In the first quarter, it only generated $1 million in sales and lost $244 million, making this an audacious goal.

Image source: Getty Images.

Time to buy this hot stock? Aurora is an interesting business opportunity, but the stock is much too expensive today. Shares trade at a market cap of $13.66 billion, which would be expensive even if it had 10,000 trucks in operation. That is many years away, if it ever gets there. Avoid chasing Aurora Innovation stock; leave it on the sidelines for now.

Brett Schafer has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

For a company working to prove out its business model, a big endorsement can go a long way. That's what happened with the autonomous trucking company Aurora Innovation (AUR +1.59%) and its expansion agreement with the Berkshire Hathaway transportation subsidiary, McLane.

This is an important development for Aurora, and receiving even an indirect nod of approval from Berkshire can carry some weight.

Image source: Getty Images.

Driverless operations McLane has over 80 U.S. distribution centers, serving markets that range from retail to restaurants. It began using Aurora's tech in 2023 and has since recorded 280,000 supervised autonomous miles in Texas. The current pilot program includes two daily round-trips, where the technology drives the middle mile, which is typically the longest stretch of the drive.

The expansion approves driverless operations between Dallas and Houston, with new routes being developed. "Aurora plans to expand to new routes between McLane distribution centers across the U.S. Sun Belt by the end of the year, with plans to serve additional McLane business in the future," Aurora said in its press release.

This is an important milestone because it shows that a large company saw enough value in Aurora's tech to expand its partnership. That vote of confidence can lead to other clients.

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Still in the early stages of the Aurora Innovation story The global autonomous truck market is expected to more than double from $46.7 billion in 2025 to $139.4 billion by 2033, according to Grand View Research. As one of the few pure-play autonomous trucking stocks, there's a lot of potential here. Still, the potential reward must be weighed against the risk.

Aurora has fewer than 200 trucks on the road. The company's revenue was just $3 million for all of 2025, while the net loss totaled $816 million. That doesn't negate the future upside potential, but it just needs to be balanced with managing the risk, which can be accomplished by taking a measured investment approach.

Jack Delaney has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Berkshire Hathaway. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

For investing in artificial intelligence (AI) stocks, it can often feel like a lot of the biggest gains have already been made through chipmakers, and that you may have missed the boat if you didn't already own them. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing is up over 250%, Advanced Micro Devices has gained more than 500%, and Nvidia jumped roughly 1,000% over the past five years, respectively.

Digging a little deeper, however, there are still plenty of promising AI growth stocks that aren't chipmakers that could still lead to long-term gains. To be clear, these are speculative companies, and there is plenty of risk involved. Still, trading below $10 at this time, SoundHound AI (SOUN 1.07%) and Aurora Innovation (AUR +1.59%) also offer plenty of upside potential.

Image source: Getty Images.

The AI voice agent stock SoundHound is an AI voice agent company, with its technology found across industries that range from retail to finance to healthcare. It just reported record revenue of $44.2 million for its 2026 first-quarter results, which was up 52% from the previous year.

It also shared several updates on its agreements with other companies, including with Walmart for its TV brand. The company reaffirmed its 2026 full-year revenue guidance, expecting it to be between $225 million and $260 million.

It was a strong quarter, but that may have led the market to want a revenue guidance raise, which didn't happen. Also, some are worried about SoundHound's pending acquisition of LivePerson, a conversational AI company, in an all-stock transaction valued at $43 million. There are execution risks with the acquisition, especially given that LivePerson has been struggling over the last few years.

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Still, if SoundHound can extract value from LivePerson, it could prove to be a savvy purchase, as management expects the acquisition target to add $100 million in annual revenue by 2027.

The key will be successful integration, as there's already skepticism around this deal, and it doesn't help that SoundHound is unprofitable today. There's not much room for error or underwhelming quarters moving forward. But as markets are dismissive, that's also the kind of setup that could set the stock price up for big gains over the long term if LivePerson adds the kind of value SoundHound expects.

The autonomous trucking stock

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The trucking industry is facing a series of challenges, including a looming driver shortage, higher gas prices, and restrictions on driver hours. Aurora Innovation, with its autonomous trucking technology, believes it can address those concerns.

The company says "AI is essential to the success of self-driving systems" and that it leverages AI to "navigate complex and dynamic scenarios." Its AI combines machine learning with programmed safety rules, such as coming to a complete stop at a stop sign.

Aurora has been starting small to prove the safety of its tech, but it expects more than 200 driverless trucks to be operational by the end of 2026. It also just announced an expansion to an earlier agreement with the Berkshire Hathaway subsidiary, McLane, to now allow driverless trips in Texas.

There's a lot of promise with Aurora Innovation, but as mentioned previously, it's also a speculative investment, as its revenue was just $3 million in 2025. The stock price is more than two and a half times as volatile as the broader markets, so for most investors planning to hold on for the long haul, it will feel like a bit of a roller coaster at times.

Jack Delaney has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Advanced Micro Devices, Berkshire Hathaway, Nvidia, SoundHound AI, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, and Walmart. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

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Aurora Innovation (AUR +1.59%), a self-driving hardware and software developer, closed at $6.16, down 1.60%. Shares are reacting to ongoing pressure from Uber (UBER 1.80%)’s recent block sale and broader weakness in autonomous-driving names. Investors are also watching execution on driverless truck deployments and platform launches.
Trading volume reached 59.8 million shares, coming in about 132% above its three-month average of 25.8 million shares. Aurora Innovation IPO'd in 2021 and has fallen 38% since going public.

How the markets moved todayThe S&P 500 (^GSPC +0.47%) slipped 0.26% to close at 7,386, while the Nasdaq Composite (^IXIC +0.36%) declined 0.97% to close at 25,679. Among self-driving technology peers, Alphabet (GOOGL +1.15%) closed at $364.26 (+0.26%) and Tesla (TSLA +1.17%) closed at $396.68 (-3.00%), underscoring mixed sentiment across autonomous-vehicle players.

What this means for investorsAurora Innovation shares have been under pressure for almost a month since Uber, its largest shareholder, announced it was raising capital and using some of its Aurora ownership as collateral. Aurora shares are down 25% since May 14.

Uber also sold a block of 67.5 million Aurora shares at $7.10 per share on June 2. Uber still owns over 258 million shares, though, representing about 15.6% ownership of Aurora.

It also hasn’t helped that investors have been moving away from various types of tech stocks recently, including self-driving technology names. Neither transaction should be viewed as a change in Uber’s confidence in Aurora’s technology. But investors should expect volatility in a speculative name like Aurora.

Howard Smith has positions in Alphabet and Tesla. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Alphabet, Tesla, and Uber Technologies. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.