Company
Embark Trucks
Embark Trucks was a San Francisco-based autonomous trucking company that went public on Nasdaq (EMBK) via SPAC at a $5B valuation in November 2021, founded by…
- Founded
- 2016
- HQ
- San Francisco, CA
- Status
- defunct ( ceased operations Dec 2023; assets sold)
Appears inLogistics robots
Models
2
Overview
Embark Trucks was a San Francisco-based autonomous trucking company that went public on Nasdaq (EMBK) via SPAC at a $5B valuation in November 2021, founded by CEO Alex Rodrigues. The company developed autonomous driving software for long-haul freight trucks but wound down operations in March 2023, laying off 70% of employees and exploring liquidation or sale after running out of runway before commercialization.
Verified record
- Verified deployments
- None on file
- Active incidents
- None on file
DEPLOY Intelligence
Market intelligence for physical AI
Analyst-grade signals, competitive tracking, and investment context across the global physical AI landscape. Launching 2026.
Key facts
Robot
Autonomous Class 8 trucks
Stage
Went public via SPAC in 2021 at a $5.2B valuation
Scale
Shut down in February 2023 and returned capital to shareholders
CEO
Alex Rodrigues (Founder)
Stock
NASDAQ: EMBK (SPAC merger November 2021)
Peak valuation
$5B
Status
Winding down operations (March 2023)
Data & sources
Web sources
1
1 source backing this record.View all →
Models (2)
View all models →Current platform
Embark Driver
Autonomous driving system for Class 8 semi-trucks; software stack for long-haul freight; deployed on partner carrier fleets.
Retired
Embark Autonomous Truck
Embark's autonomous Class 8 truck, which ran test and pilot freight (incl. coast-to-coast and Houston-El Paso runs) with a safety driver aboard. Historical peak was supervised pilot; it never reached observer-free sustained commercial. Discontinued when Embark wound down in 2023.
Embark Trucks on the deployment map
Where Embark Trucks's robots are verified operating. Explore the deployment map by place and type.
Relationships
Founders (2)
- Alex Rodriguescofounderfounded 2016-01-01no longer at company
- Brandon Moakcofounderfounded 2016-01-01no longer at company
Former / Previously (2)
- Alex Rodrigues Co-founder & CEOsince 2016-01-01secondary-verified
- Brandon Moak Co-founder & CTOsince 2016-01-01secondary-verified
Safety record
No incidents on record for Embark Trucks.
Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.
Full safety record: incidents, sourcing, and exposure data →
Operator customers (1)
- Werner Enterprises1 deployment
Brains developed (1)
- Embark Driverfoundation-model · research
Recent coverage
Embark Trucks in third-party press
Peer companies
- Tesla4 models
- Aurora Innovation3 models
- Waymo3 models
- Caterpillar2 models
- Caterpillar Mining2 models
- Gatik2 models
Financial state
- Reporting basis
- aggregator_estimate
- Lifecycle stage
- growth
- Counterparty risk class
- moderate
Each numeric field carries its own basis marker. Aggregators report a number; this surface preserves the source class so verification depth travels with the value.
Funding rounds (1)
- SPAC IPO2021-11-01
$614M · $5.2B post
Sources (1)
Common questions
- What is Embark Trucks?
- Embark Trucks was a San Francisco-based autonomous trucking company that went public on Nasdaq (EMBK) via SPAC at a $5B valuation in November 2021, founded by CEO Alex Rodrigues. The company developed autonomous driving software for long-haul freight trucks but wound down operations in March 2023, laying off 70% of employees and exploring liquidation or sale after running out of runway before commercialization.
- What does Embark Trucks make?
- Embark Trucks has 2 robot models on the DEPLOY registry: Embark Driver, Embark Autonomous Truck (Embark Trucks builds physical robots).
- Is Embark Trucks publicly traded?
- Embark Trucks is not yet publicly traded but is in the process of going public, per the DEPLOY registry.
- Who competes with Embark Trucks?
- On the DEPLOY registry, peer companies to Embark Trucks building in the same form factors include Tesla, Aurora Innovation, Waymo, Caterpillar.
- Where is Embark Trucks headquartered?
- Embark Trucks is headquartered in San Francisco, CA.
- Where does Embark Trucks operate robots?
- Embark Trucks is a robot manufacturer and does not directly operate deployments on the DEPLOY registry. Its products are deployed by customer operators; see the company page for the verified deployment record.
- Is Embark Trucks a top robotics company?
- On DEPLOY's intelligence score, which blends verified deployments, funding, hiring, media, safety, and IP signals, Embark Trucks ranks in roughly the top 64% of companies tracked by the registry.
- When was Embark Trucks founded?
- Embark Trucks was founded in 2016.
- Is Embark Trucks safe?
- Embark Trucks has no incidents on record in the DEPLOY registry. This does not constitute a safety guarantee; it reflects the incidents DEPLOY has tracked and verified to date.
Methodology: Verified · 1 source (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-09
Verification posture
Verified
Low confidence
Review state
Stable
Last reviewed 2026-07-09
Sources by quality tier
- 1
- unclassified
- Unclassified source
The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.
Methodology surface for Embark Trucks.Peer companies
- Tesla4 models
- Aurora Innovation3 models
- Waymo3 models
- Caterpillar2 models
- Caterpillar Mining2 models
- Gatik2 models
In the press
Recent coverage mentioning Embark Trucks from third-party publications. Automatically surfaced; not part of the verified registry record.
Machine-readable surfaces
- Markdown mirror: /companies/embark-trucks.md
- RSS feed: /companies/embark-trucks/feed.xml
- JSON-LD: embedded in this page’s head
- REST API: /v1/companies/c62f2126-1a6c-47ea-826e-f01a3a3cd988
- Revision history: /companies/embark-trucks/history
- Data documentation: /data
- Query this programmatically: Deploy MCP
Peer companies
- Tesla4 models
- Aurora Innovation3 models
- Waymo3 models
- Caterpillar2 models
- Caterpillar Mining2 models
- Gatik2 models
Video
Working closely with the Texas Department of Public Safety and the Travis County Sheriff’s Office, Embark developed the capability for Embark-powered trucks to
Safely handling unexpected road conditions is an important milestone in self-driving truck development. That's why Embark has developed the world's first automa
Pounding The Table's @AviNMash and @Reilly_McAdams sit down with @EmbarkTrucks CEO, 25 Year old Alex Rodrigues to discuss the future of Autonomous Semi trucks
Alex Rodrigues, co-founder and CEO of Embark Trucks speaks at the 2019 San Francisco Robotics Showcase
@AviNMash and @Reilly_McAdams sit down with Alex Rodrigues (@alexrodriguesca) CEO of Embark Embark is an autonomous vehicle company building the software fo
Autonomous truck maker Embark lays off 70% of workers #trucking #paleridertv To help support PaleriderTV and help to keep me uploading content, consider a donat
Talk: Connecting AV @EmbarkTrucks trucks for development at rest and live support on the road. Technologist and software engineer working with systems powerin
#shorts #joerogan #jre #joeroganexperience #podcast #interview Welcome to Rogan Rundowns, your one-stop destination for the best clips and highlights from the
Embark Trucks is driving autonomous trucking. On this episode, Alex Rodrigues, Co-Founder and CEO of Embark Trucks, talks about the commercialization of the tec
Reality vs attention
Embark Trucks draws attention at the 50th percentile but verifies reality at the 4th percentile among truck robots. Hype Gap +46, 3rd widest among truck robots.
6-month trend
Analysis
Clean safety record across 1 verified deployment. Deployment footprint remains limited relative to category peers.
Signal flags
Dimension breakdown
Verified signal
Attention (reach, not merit)
DEPLOY Intelligence scores are computed from verified registry data: confirmed deployments, disclosed funding rounds, regulatory filings, active job listings, video viewership, and press coverage. Confidence ratings reflect data availability. Scores update nightly.
DEPLOY Indices — verified vs claimed
Last computed: Jul 14, 2026