TuSimple CEO and co-founder fired by board over ties to Chinese language startup Hydron • TechCrunch

TuSimple co-founder Xiaodi Hou was fired from his CEO, president and CTO posts by the autonomous trucking firm’s board, in line with a securities submitting Monday. Hou, who co-founded TuSimple in 2015 with Mo Chen, was additionally faraway from his place as chairman of the board and member of the board’s authorities safety committee.

The firing got here a day after The Wall Road Journal printed a report citing unnamed sources that TuSimple was going through concurrent probes by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Securities and Change Fee and Committee on Overseas Funding within the U.S. (CFIUS). The investigation is outwardly targeted on TuSimple’s relationship with Hydron, a hydrogen-powered trucking firm led by TuSimple co-founder Chen and backed by Chinese language buyers. Hydron’s web site lists its headquarters as Canada. It’s included in China, Hong Kong and Delaware.

Shares of TuSimple plummeted greater than 45% in buying and selling Monday.

The board mentioned within the submitting that based mostly on info obtained in an ongoing investigation by its audit committee, workers spent paid hours engaged on issues for Hydron in 2021. That work had an estimated worth of lower than $300,000 and was not introduced to, or permitted by, the audit committee, in line with the board. The board additionally believes that in 2022 the corporate shared confidential info with Hydron and its companions as a part of an analysis of Hydron as a possible OEM associate.

Some insiders instructed TechCrunch that the firing appeared extra political and about Hou’s administration fashion than information of an investigation. Sources, who requested to not be named, mentioned they had been unaware of any investigations.

Hou defended himself in a put up on LinkedIn, stating the board voted to take away him with out trigger.

“My motivation has at all times been and continues to be chasing that visionary dream,” Hou wrote. “The painful reality is that on Oct. 30, the Board voted to take away me as CEO and Chairman of the Board with out Trigger. Sadly, the Board’s processes and conclusions have been questionable at finest. Because the info come to mild, I’m assured that my selections as CEO and Chairman, and our imaginative and prescient for TuSimple, will likely be vindicated.”

CFIUS had investigated TuSimple previously, largely over considerations of an funding by Solar Dream, an affiliate of Sina Company, which runs China’s largest microblogging platform Sina Weibo. Solar Dream is TuSimple’s largest shareholder, with 20% Class A shares. Charles Chao and Bonnie Yi Zhang, respectively the CEO and CFO of Weibo, had been each members of TuSimple’s board.

In February, TuSimple entered right into a nationwide safety settlement with CFIUS, agreeing to restrict entry to sure knowledge, undertake a expertise management plan, appoint a safety officer and director, set up a authorities safety committee of the board and periodically meet with and report back to sure CFIUS monitoring businesses. Chao and Zhang additionally agreed to not stand for reelection as a part of the settlement.

TuSimple additionally got down to dump its Asia operations. That unit has but to be offered.

Ersin Yumer, TuSimple’s government VP of operations, will likely be interim CEO and president whereas an government search is performed, in line with the submitting. TuSimple’s lead unbiased director Brad Buss will now be chairman. The board mentioned additionally it is actively engaged within the search so as to add new unbiased members.

These actions have been taken in reference to an ongoing investigation led by the audit committee of the board that led the board to conclude {that a} change of chief government officer was essential.