Luminar receives a larger $33 million bid for its lidar business

Summary

Luminar received an even higher bid for its lidar business as a court-run auction concluded on Monday, according to a new filing in the company’s bankruptcy case. MicroVision, a Redmond, Washington-based company that has been developing its own lidar sensors, submitted a $33 million bid, eclipsing the $22 million that Quantum Computing Inc. laid out a few weeks ago as the so-called “stalking horse” bidder. (Quantum Computing Inc. had upped its bid to $28 million but apparently was unwilling or unable to go higher.) In a statement, MicroVision said Tuesday that it is acquiring “IP and inventory related to the Iris and Halo lidar sensors, key engineering and operations talent, and certain commercial contracts and orders.” “It’s no secret that the lidar market has been ripe for disruption and in need of further consolidation,” MicroVision CEO Glen DeVos said. “Building on our proven executive leadership in automotive, our history of developing and delivering products in defense, and now an even more expansive portfolio of technologically diverse lidar sensors and advanced perception solutions, we believe MicroVision is ready to upend the industry, enabling widespread commercial adoption and significantly increased safety.” The sale of Luminar’s lidar business will now be subject to approval by the judge in the bankruptcy case. A hearing is slated for Tuesday afternoon. It’s not clear if Luminar founder and former CEO Austin Russell submitted a bid for his company’s lidar assets. Russell, through his new venture Russell AI Labs, tried to buy the company outright in October 2025 before it filed for bankruptcy, and he expressed an interest on making a bid during the bankruptcy process. Representatives for Russell did not respond to a request for comment. That said, Russell and Luminar spent the first month of the bankruptcy case fighting over a subpoena. The company has said it is still evaluating whether to take legal action against Russell, tied to his resignation last ...