Home / Technology / Lidar Giant Luminar's Fall: From $12B Peak to Zero Revenue
Lidar Giant Luminar's Fall: From $12B Peak to Zero Revenue
26 Feb
Summary
- Volvo terminated its lidar sensor deal with Luminar in November 2025.
- Luminar's stock peaked at $47.80, with a market cap over $12 billion.
- MicroVision is acquiring Luminar's assets to expand its lidar offerings.
Luminar, formerly a prominent lidar developer, has experienced a dramatic downturn. In November 2025, Volvo Cars confirmed it would not proceed with using hundreds of thousands of Luminar's lidar sensors, officially terminating their agreement and leaving Luminar without viable revenue streams.
This followed earlier setbacks, including Polestar backing away from using Luminar's sensors and a partnership with Mercedes-Benz that did not result in product adoption. Luminar's IPO in November 2020 initially saw its stock reach a peak of $47.80, with its market cap exceeding $12 billion.
Amidst this consolidation, MicroVision is set to acquire certain Luminar assets. MicroVision's CEO intends to leverage these assets to enhance its product offerings with long-range lidar technology, complementing its existing short-range sensors.
MicroVision aims to integrate Luminar's intellectual property, potentially offering a more unified and cost-effective product. The company seeks to capitalize on the projected growth in the lidar market, anticipating that vehicles with Level 2 autonomous driving hardware will reach approximately 58 million units by 2030.
This acquisition is MicroVision's second recent purchase, following its finalized acquisition of Scantinel Photonics in January. MicroVision's CEO expressed confidence in transitioning from a niche supplier to a global lidar player, with further updates expected at the company's next earnings call.
