Mobileye CEO Warns Over Judicial Reforms

Amnon Shashua, CEO of autonomous driving tech company Mobileye, has received the Israel Prize for Lifetime Achievement.

At a ceremony attended by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday (Wednesday April 26th), he warned that proposed judicial reforms may undo everything Israel has worked so hard to achieve.

“We must join forces and solve the current crisis while strictly maintaining the principle of separation of powers and respecting all state institutions – legislative, executive and judicial – so that we don’t lose everything we’ve achieved,” he said during his speech. “If we don’t succeed in doing this, miracles won’t help either.”

The reforms would give the government greater sway on selecting judges, while limiting the Supreme Court’s power to strike down legislation.

Shashua was awarded the prize for his work on AI and transport safety technology. The Israel Prize, now in its 70th year, is one of the country’s highest civilian honors, and celebrates excellence in art, culture, business, and sciences.

Twelve recipients, including researchers, scientists, and artists, received their prizes at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem, in a ceremony marking Israel’s Independence Day.

Shashua founded Mobileye in 1999, together with Ziv Amram, developing autonomous driving technologies and advanced driver-assistance systems. In 2017, Intel, the US semiconductor chip giant, bought the startup for $15.3 billion.

Shashua is also the co-founder of OrCam, which develops artificial vision devices for visually impaired people, as well as the owner of One Zero Digital Bank, and chairman of artificial intelligence company AI21 Labs. 

Among other recipients of the Israel Prize wereProf. Avital Gazit, whose research has helped preserve the health of streams in Israel; Prof. Michal Schwartz, whose discoveries include the key role of the cells of the immune system in the healing processes of the central nervous system; and Yossi Halevi (Daklon), one of the pioneers of Israeli Mediterranean music.