Cruise applied to YC in 2014 as a $3,000 kit that bolted self-driving onto a car you already owned. GM bought it for over $1 billion and spent $10 billion more — until it all collapsed in 2024. Here's the original application, before any of that.
YC Applications · 7 min read
Cruise — YC Application (W14)
Cruise applied to YC in 2014 as a $3,000 kit that bolted self-driving onto a car you already owned. GM bought it for over $1 billion and spent $10 billion more — until it all collapsed in 2024. Here's the original application, before any of that.
By Shreyans Bhansali · May 28, 2026