Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the challenges and pressures faced by a leading automotive company's self-driving research team as they approach critical deadlines for developing advanced autonomous driving technologies, highlighting the competitive landscape and the importance of effective management in achieving technological advancements [6][8][14]. Group 1: Development Goals and Challenges - The self-driving research team of a leading automotive company has set ambitious internal goals to develop a no-map urban Navigation on Autopilot (NOA) by September 30 and an end-to-end system by December 30 [6]. - The company is currently lagging behind new entrants and leading autonomous driving firms by at least a year in terms of research and development progress [8]. - The pressure is high for the smart driving leaders, as failure to meet these deadlines could lead to accountability issues and organizational turmoil [7][8]. Group 2: Investment and Talent Acquisition - The company has significantly increased its investment in autonomous driving technology, surpassing that of some new entrants, and is willing to offer competitive salaries to attract top talent [9]. - Unlike some new entrants that offer compensation packages tied to stock performance, this leading company provides more cash to avoid fluctuations in employee compensation due to stock price volatility [9]. Group 3: Technical and Management Issues - Despite substantial investments, the company faces challenges in the end-to-end development process, particularly in data management, which is crucial for training models effectively [10]. - Traditional automotive companies often struggle with a lack of algorithmic expertise among their leadership, which affects their ability to manage and innovate in autonomous driving technology [13]. - The management approach in traditional firms tends to focus on coding output rather than the underlying algorithmic thought processes, which contributes to lower technical output compared to new entrants [14]. Group 4: Future Outlook and User Experience - The company plans to widely implement high-level urban NOA in numerous models next year, contingent on the success of its self-developed end-to-end system [15]. - The upcoming year is expected to be pivotal for end-to-end systems, as both new entrants and leading firms are achieving performance levels that meet consumer expectations [15]. - The emphasis will shift towards ensuring that the technology not only functions but also provides a satisfactory user experience, as performance differences among various end-to-end systems can significantly impact consumer perception [16].