TuSimple shut down its U.S. self-driving truck operations and delisted from the stock market in January 2024, three years after raising $1.35 billion in its IPO. The company had originally planned to restart operations in China, but earlier this year, TuSimple parted ways with most of its autonomous driving staff. Shortly after, it started hiring for roles related to AI animation and gaming. Chen owns or has ties to several other animation and gaming companies. And it appears Chen's other businesses are involved in TuSimple/CreateAI's new venture. In a recent filing, TuSimple said that the board approved a $25 million deal in November with two game development companies that are affiliated with Chen to develop and distribute 'Heroes of Jin Yong,' a role-playing video game. To reduce potential conflicts of interest, in May 2024, Chen transferred his ownership interest in those companies to a trust that he does not control, though the beneficiaries of the trust are members of his...
learn more
