Continental, which supplies driver assistance technology, such as blind-spot detection, hired Seval Oz to be CEO of the new company. Oz previously served as Senior Business Development manager at Google, where she was integral in the development of the self-driving car.
The move isn’t all that surprising. In recent years, several automakers, including such as Ford, Volkswagen, Honda, Renault/Nissan, and Toyota have set up research and development facilities in California. Suppliers following their customers is a long established pattern.