Velodyne Lidar

How it happened

Velodyne Lidar was an early leader in lidar sensors for autonomous vehicles, going public via SPAC in 2020 at a valuation around $1.8B. Weak commercial adoption, mounting losses, and boardroom turmoil eroded its value, and in 2023 it merged with rival Ouster in an all-stock deal at a combined valuation well below $1B (~-90% from peak). Glassdoor reviews from the decline echoed that turmoil at the top: employees described repeated CEO changes, board drama, and shifting strategy that left engineers without a clear market to chase. Many experienced the Ouster tie-up as an effective wind-down — reviewers said Velodyne was absorbed rather than combined, its staff largely not retained through the 2023 layoffs.

Employee accounts paraphrase anonymous, unverified reviews posted publicly on Glassdoor ↗. See our methodology.