Luminar's Lidar Business Sold to MicroVision Despite Last-Minute Mystery Bid

An unidentified bidder submitted a higher offer, but Luminar ultimately stuck with the $33 million bid from MicroVision.

Jan. 28, 2026 at 3:15pm

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Moments before a bankruptcy judge was expected to approve the sale of Luminar's lidar business, an unidentified party submitted an offer that was 'substantially higher' than the winning $33 million bid from MicroVision. However, Luminar's lawyers cited 'infirmities' in the mystery offer and the company decided to move forward with the MicroVision deal. The identity of the mystery bidder was not revealed, but Luminar's lawyer said it was likely an 'insider purchaser', potentially Luminar founder Austin Russell who had previously tried to buy the company.

Why it matters

Luminar was one of the buzzier suppliers of lidar technology for the autonomous vehicle industry, so its bankruptcy and sale marks the end of an era. The sale to MicroVision will allow the lidar technology and engineering talent to live on, as MicroVision looks to expand into the automotive market with Luminar's capabilities.

The details

During an auction on Monday, MicroVision submitted the winning $33 million bid for Luminar's lidar business. However, just before the hearing to approve the sale, an unidentified bidder submitted an offer that was 'substantially higher.' Luminar's lawyers said this mystery offer had 'infirmities' that led the company to ultimately stick with the MicroVision deal. The identity of the mystery bidder was not revealed, but Luminar's lawyer said it was likely an 'insider purchaser', potentially founder Austin Russell who had previously tried to buy the company.

  • The bankruptcy auction took place on Monday, January 27, 2026.
  • The hearing to approve the sale was scheduled for Tuesday, January 28, 2026.

The players

MicroVision

A Redmond, Washington-based company that provides lidar and other sensor technologies. MicroVision was the winning bidder at $33 million for Luminar's lidar business.

Austin Russell

The founder of Luminar who had previously tried to buy the company before it filed for bankruptcy.

Glen DeVos

The CEO of MicroVision, who previously worked at automotive suppliers Delphi and Aptiv.

Rich Morgner

A managing director at Jeffries, the investment bank that was helping run the sale process for Luminar.

Quantum Computing Inc.

The company that acquired Luminar's semiconductor division as part of the bankruptcy proceedings.

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What they’re saying

“So when we look at the Luminar engineering team, and what they've done, we said: 'Hey, that's a great compliment from a from a engineering capability standpoint.' That's critical in this area in terms of trying to win automotive business.”

— Glen DeVos, CEO, MicroVision

“I've been in the automotive industry a long time. I have experience where contractual relationships have gone off the rails, and basically, worked very hard to put those back together. We're going to look at every single one of those. We're not going to assume any of them are beyond saving.”

— Glen DeVos, CEO, MicroVision

What’s next

The sale of Luminar's lidar business to MicroVision and its semiconductor division to Quantum Computing Inc. are expected to close in the coming weeks, after which Luminar will cease to exist as a company.

The takeaway

Luminar's bankruptcy and sale mark the end of one of the prominent suppliers of lidar technology for the autonomous vehicle industry. However, MicroVision's acquisition of Luminar's assets and engineering talent provides an opportunity for the lidar technology to live on and potentially expand into the automotive market.