GM to buy out SoftBank's stake in Cruise self-driving unit

General Motors is acquiring SoftBank's stake in Cruise and pouring even more money into the self-driving unit it purchased in 2016. The auto giant has announced that it's buying out SoftBank Vision Fund 1's equity ownership into the company that's worth $2.1 billion. In addition, it has committed to investing an extra $1.35 billion in Cruise to replace the funding SoftBank promised in February after the self-driving car company started offering robotaxi rides in San Francisco. The automaker didn't say why it's buying SoftBank's equity ownership, but GM chief executive Mary Barra said: "Our increased investment position not only simplifies Cruise's shareholder structure, but also provides GM and Cruise maximum flexibility to pursue the most value-accretive path to commercializing and unlocking the full potential of AV technology." SoftBank, meanwhile, has recently struggled with debt and the plummeting value of its properties.