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An unidentified bidder submitted a Hail Mary offer that was “substantially higher” than the winning bid at auction. Founder Austin Russell has been circling a bid, but it’s not clear he was behind it.
A new leading bidder has appeared in the Luminar bankruptcy case: Redmond, Washington-based MicroVision, which beat out Quantum Computing Inc.’s bid by $5 million.
The agreement comes two weeks after Luminar accused its billionaire founder of dodging information requests, as it evaluates potential legal claims.
The bid comes from Quantum Computing Inc., which already lined up to buy Luminar’s semiconductor division. Luminar founder Austin Russell has also expressed interest.
Hesai said it now plans to build as many as 4 million lidar sensors in 2026, up from 2 million, as it tries to corner a market with one fewer player after Luminar’s bankruptcy.
The Luminar founder claims he has been cooperative.
iRobot, Luminar, and Rad Power Bikes were very different companies, but they faced some similar challenges.
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The hardware world had a brutal week, with iRobot, Luminar, and Rad Power Bikes all filing for bankruptcy. Each company faces its own mix of tariff pressures, supply chain issues, and shifting markets, but together they tell a…