Pony.ai develops autonomous driving technologies for passenger and goods transportation. The company offers an end-to-end self-driving stack that combines perception, planning and control systems with proprietary hardware and software. Pony.ai’s solutions support robotaxi services and advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) deployments across urban and suburban environments.
Founded in late 2016 by James Peng and Sean Gong, Pony.ai operates research and development centers in Fremont, California, as well as in Guangzhou and Beijing, China. The company began public pilot operations in Guangzhou in late 2020 and expanded its commercial robotaxi service to parts of Beijing in 2021. In the United States, Pony.ai launched a public ride-hailing pilot in Irvine, California, in mid-2022.
In addition to operating its own robotaxi fleets, Pony.ai collaborates with automotive manufacturers and fleet partners, providing both fully autonomous ride-hailing and goods delivery solutions. Its technology stack is designed to integrate with OEM platforms, enabling automaker customers to deploy autonomous and semi-autonomous vehicles with minimal modifications. Beyond passenger services, the company is exploring logistics applications, including autonomous last-mile delivery.
Leading Pony.ai is co-founder and chief executive officer James Peng, who previously held engineering roles at Baidu and Toyota’s autonomous vehicle division. CTO Sean Gong brings expertise from Google’s self-driving project. Early backers include Toyota Motor Corporation, Sequoia Capital and IDG Capital. Pony.ai became a publicly traded company in September 2023 through a merger with special-purpose acquisition company DPCM Capital, and its Class A common stock trades on the NASDAQ under the symbol PONY.
