Amazon in talks to buy autonomous vehicle startup Zoox

Amazon.com Inc. is in talks to buy driverless vehicle startup Zoox Inc., according to a person familiar with the matter, a deal that would accelerate the e-commerce giant’s automation efforts.

“Zoox has been receiving interest in a strategic transaction from multiple parties and has been working with Qatalyst Partners to evaluate such interest,” the startup said. It declined to comment on Amazon’s interest. A spokeswoman for Amazon declined to comment.

Zoox had outsized ambition and financial backing. The startup raised about $1 billion and wanted to build a fully driverless car by this year. However, after a 2018 funding round that valued Zoox at $3.2 billion, the startup’s board voted to oust Chief Executive Officer Tim Kentley-Klay. The executive criticized the move, saying the directors were “optimizing for a little money in hand at the expense of profound progress.”