GM just walked away from its robotaxi dream, bailing on its Cruise business as the price tag became too much to stomach. Between the lines: GM can't afford — the cost or the distraction — to work on a moonshot when its core business needs fixing.

Uber Technologies (NYSE:UBER) is being watched closely after General Motors (GM) announced that it is realigning its autonomous vehicle strategy to focus on building an advanced driver assistance system for its personal vehicles.

General Motors is restructuring Cruise, its self-driving-taxi company, in what amounts to an exit from the robotaxi business and a refocusing on improving driver- assistance technologies for everyday people.