Uber is in late-stage talks to acquire some technology and team members from Luxe, the on-demand car valet service, The Wall Street Journal and Recode first reported, citing sources. TechCrunch has since learned that the talks are indeed happening, but that the deal hasn’t closed and therefore could unravel.
The plan is for Uber to acquire some of Luxe’s technology and engineering talent, which had been working on a service related to short-term car rentals, according to the WSJ. Uber also has reportedly been interviewing engineers from Luxe to determine who to keep from the company, according to the WSJ.
Back in April, Luxe ended its door-to-door valet service, with CEO Curtis Lee saying that the company was changing directions. As part of the deal, however, Lee will reportedly not be joining Uber because he’s still going to work on some version of Luxe and retain the Luxe brand.
Luxe had previously raised more than $75 million, with its most recent round coming in at $50 million last April.
This deal comes at a time when Uber is embroiled in controversies around its self-driving car technology as well as its workplace culture. Within the last week, a judge denied Uber’s request for a stay in its lawsuit with Google’s Waymo, and the company fired more than 20 people as a result of its sexual harassment probe and then fired an executive who obtained the medical records of a woman who was raped during an Uber ride in India.
Uber declined to comment for this story.