Who is the founder of Serve Robotics? Delivery robot owned by the company collides with man with cerebral palsy on a mobility scooter in LA

Concerns were raised over safety and accessibility as one of Serve Robotics' delivery robot collided with a man with cerebral palsy who was on a mobility scooter in LA. The company, which was founded by Ali Kashani, faced backlash for the incident.

On September 12, Mark Chaney, a therapist and disability advocate, came across a Serve Robotics delivery robot moving along a West Hollywood sidewalk on his way home. Chaney claims that his mobility scooter collided with the delivery robot when it cut into his path. Chaney told KTLA:

“The robot had been acting strangely… I tried to give it lots of room to pass, and it cut me off. Then it hit the brakes right in front of me, and I bumped into it.”

He even claimed that the delivery robot reversed into him, Serve Robotics refuted this allegation, claiming that the device's "fail-safe" state caused it to just stop abruptly.

Later, he shared a video of the encounter on his TikTok and Instagram, which didn't take long to go viral. Chaney later told KTLA:

“If I had been on crutches that day, I would have fallen. For me, a fall isn’t just inconvenient, it could mean weeks of recovery.”

Serve Robotics' response to the delivery robot incident

Serve Robotics admitted to "a single instance of contact" in a statement to People, explaining that the delivery robot stopped as it detected a pedestrian. The company acknowledged that the gadget had obstructed Chaney's route because of its safety system, which was intended to predict pedestrians' intentions and yield. The company said:

"Within moments, the robot came to a full stop in response to sensing a pedestrian in close proximity, which is considered its fail-safe state. Unlike humans, our robots have 360° visibility and are designed to anticipate and respond to objects approaching from behind to ensure safe and mindful interactions."

The statement continued:

"After examining this incident, we learned that our safety system, designed to predict pedestrians' intentions and yield right of way, instead caused the robot to impede their way."

Following the incident, Chaney had emailed Serve Robotics. In their reply, they mentioned that they are "fast-tracking" the launch of an Accessibility Council to get feedback from handicap activists and also promised to enhance the way its robots navigate on sidewalks. Serve stated:

"We design our robots to not be an impediment to others, in particular to those with disabilities, and we regret when we do not live up to that. We are continuously working to improve how the robots navigate and interact with others, and will be implementing improvements as a result of this incident as well."

Chaney hoped that the incident that occurred would help the companies:

“At minimum, they need to include people with disabilities in the room when these systems are designed. If we’re not there, it’s not built for us.”

This isn't the first time that Serve Robotics has had problems. On 17 September 2025, a delivery robot blocked the way for a Los Angeles Fire Department fire truck briefly before delaying its path, before eventually moving aside.

More information on Ali Kashani, the founder of Serve Robotics

Ali Kashani is the Chief Executive Officer of Serve Robotics, who co-founded the company in January 2021. Prior to founding Serve, Dr. Kashani served as the Vice President of Postmates Inc., which was an on-demand delivery service that Uber had eventually acquired. Before Postmates, he co-founded Neurio Technology, Inc., a smart home startup that was acquired by Generac Power Systems.

Fifteen of Dr. Kashani's inventions have been awarded or are pending patents. He graduated from the University of British Columbia, where he earned a Bachelor of Science in Computer Engineering and a Doctorate in Robotics. During his time there, he was also awarded the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada’s Alexander Graham Bell Canada Graduate Scholarship.

Stay tuned to Soap Central for more information.

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