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Ali Kashani, Co-Founder & Serve Robotics joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss how sidewalk delivery robots are transforming the economics and experience of last-mile delivery. Ali shares the origin story of Serve Robotics, which was incubated within Postmates and later spun out of Uber into a publicly traded company. What began as a simple idea, delivering small items with small autonomous robots has grown into a rapidly scaling business operating in cities across the U.S., including Los Angeles, Miami, and Dallas. As Serve Robotics continues to expand, the company is evolving into a full-fledged robotics platform with multiple revenue streams spanning advertising, delivery, licensing, and potentially something even bigger in the future.Episode Chapters0:00 Founding of Serve Robotics2:07 Deliveries4:26 Deploying Sidewalk Robots9:53 Deployment Markets15:11 A Robotics Company19:37 Wing Partnership21:20 Restaurant Deliveries & Packaging27:53 Comparing Gen 2 to Gen 3 Robots29:59 Testing Before Deploying32:37 New Markets33:49 Advertising Business37:33 Growing Delivery Volume39:37 The Evolution of Sidewalk Robots42:07 Key TakeawaysRecorded on Wednesday, May 14, 2025--------About The Road to AutonomyThe Road to Autonomy provides market intelligence and strategic advisory services to institutional investors and companies, delivering insights needed to stay ahead of emerging trends in the autonomy economy™. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com.Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Ouster (OUST) CEO and co-founder Angus Pacala shares his vision for the future of LIDAR technology, which he believes will be a critical component in the next wave of physical A.I. He highlights Ouster's recent success and discusses the growing number of applications for LIDAR technology, including autonomous vehicles, smart cities, and industrial use cases. Pacala also touches on the company's partnerships with major players like Nvidia (NVDA) and Komatsu, and shares his excitement for the future as LIDAR technology begins to be deployed at scale in the real world.======== Schwab Network ========Empowering every investor and trader, every market day. Subscribe to the Market Minute newsletter - https://schwabnetwork.com/subscribeDownload the iOS app - https://apps.apple.com/us/app/schwab-network/id1460719185Download the Amazon Fire Tv App - https://www.amazon.com/TD-Ameritrade-Network/dp/B07KRD76C7Watch on Sling - https://watch.sling.com/1/asset/191928615bd8d47686f94682aefaa007/watchWatch on Vizio - https://www.vizio.com/en/watchfreeplus-exploreWatch on DistroTV - https://www.distro.tv/live/schwab-network/Follow us on X – https://twitter.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/schwabnetworkFollow us on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/schwab-network/ About Schwab Network - https://schwabnetwork.com/about
This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss Waymo's recall, Tesla's most recent NHTSA letter and Sterling Anderson's surprise move to join GM as EVP & Chief Product Officer.For the first time ever, Waymo had a fleet-wide recall after a series of minor collisions involving stationary objects, a recall that was fixed with a simple over-the-air update. As Waymo updated their vehicles, Tesla was once again under regulatory scrutiny, this time about their upcoming FSD Unsupervised launch in Austin.Could NHTSA's request for more information, give Elon Musk and Tesla an off-ramp as they work to further develop FSD prior to deploying fully autonomous robotaxis. In an unexpected twist, former Aurora co-founder Sterling Anderson joined GM as EVP & Chief Product Officer. His move to GM signals a potential major strategic shift for GM, especially in the wake of its decision to shutdown Cruise.With Mr. Anderson's background in autonomy, software-defined vehicles, and hardware integration from his time at Tesla and Aurora, the hire suggests GM may be quietly rebuilding its autonomy strategy. Whether this positions him as a future CEO candidate or simply as the architect of GM's next-generation vehicle roadmap, it's a development that we will be following on Autonomy Markets.Episode Chapters0:00 Sterling Anderson Joins GM3:34 The Impact of Sterling's Departure on Aurora5:53 Uber's Autonomy Investments7:16 Aurora, a Company in Crisis13:04 Kodiak15:30 Bot Auto17:45 Wayve / Uber Partnership21:58 WeRide's Hong Kong IPO22:46 Waymo's Lingering Zeekr Problem25:27 Waymo's NHTSA Recall27:18 Waymo Road Trips28:47 Is Waymo Expanding Too Quickly?30:10 Could NHTSA Delay Tesla's June Robotaxi Launch?33:38 Market Perception of Tesla FSD36:29 Unforced Error of The Week38:40 Next WeekRecorded on Thursday, May 15, 2025--------About The Road to AutonomyThe Road to Autonomy provides market intelligence and strategic advisory services to institutional investors and companies, delivering insights needed to stay ahead of emerging trends in the autonomy economy™. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com.Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Waymo is recalling over 1,200 autonomous vehicles due to safety concerns, and the implications for the future of driverless technology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Highlights from their conversation include:Welcoming Bola to the Dynamo Team (0:41)Founders in the Industrial Sector (3:14)Madelyn's Promotion and Focus (5:37)Geopolitical Tensions and Supply Chain (7:35)Dynamo's Rebranding and Focus (12:03)AI's Role in Venture Capital (18:02)Navigating Global Trade Policies (22:54)Impact of Tariffs on Supply Chain (24:01)Non-Tariff Restrictions and Semiconductor Industry (26:04) Consumer Confidence and Economic Outlook (29:12)Uncertainty in Manufacturing Sector (32:29)Autonomous Vehicles and Market Trends (35:12)Future of Drone Delivery and Parting Thoughts (39:15)Dynamo is a VC firm led by supply chain and mobility specialists that focus on seed-stage, enterprise startups.Find out more at: https://www.dynamo.vc/
David Welch, Detroit Bureau Chief, Bloomberg joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss Waymo's growing competitive advantage in the market, Uber's strategy and the many challenges facing Tesla.Waymo continues to strengthen its market share in the robotaxi sector, recently announcing a strategic partnership with Magna to significantly expand autonomous vehicle manufacturing capabilities. While Uber leverages its robust marketplace platform to drive substantial demand for autonomous rides through key partnerships, Waymo has diversified manufacturing to meet demand.Tesla, despite its ambitions with Full Self-Driving (FSD), faces ongoing technical challenges, including difficulties accurately identifying pedestrians, animals, and school zones, underscore the complexity in deploying fully autonomous vehicles at scale.Simultaneously, the autonomous vehicle industry's competitive landscape remains fluid, as traditional automakers struggle with limited autonomy programs and unclear strategies. With renewed investor interest, fresh funding rounds, and upcoming commercial deployments, the autonomous mobility market is entering a pivotal phase. Autonomy companies must now navigate strategic decisions concerning scale, partnerships, and profitability.Episode Chapters0:00 Scaling Waymo's Operations3:58 Tesla FSD5:17 Tesla's Upcoming Austin Robotaxi Launch7:47 Did GM Pull the Plus on Cruise Too Early?11:33 GM's Continued Investments in EVs14:48 Software16:35 Licensing Autonomy & OEM Partnerships20:41 Foxconn Contract Manufacturing AVs25:53 Uber's Autonomous Vehicle Fleet Strategy28:50 Uber / Waymo Relationship34:33 Zoox35:31 Alphabet's Commitment to Waymo37:28 Merge Waymo One into Uber?39:12 Car Rental Companies40:32 Autonomy as a Business44:52 Key TakeawaysRecorded on Thursday, May 8, 2025--------About The Road to AutonomyThe Road to Autonomy provides market intelligence and strategic advisory services to institutional investors and companies, delivering insights needed to stay ahead of emerging trends in the autonomy economy™. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com.Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Dr. Eliot explains how the AI of self-driving cars copes with nearby motorcyclists. See his Forbes column for further info: https://www.forbes.com/sites/lanceeliot/
This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss the abrupt resignation of Aurora Co-Founder Sterling Anderson, why Waymo needs more vehicles and the continued fragmentation of the robotaxi market. Mr. Anderson's sudden departure sent shockwaves through the industry, raising critical questions about his next move and the potential impact on Aurora's partnership with Volvo, along with Uber's reaction. Yet, curiously, none of these questions were raised by analysts on the company's earnings call, leaving investors and industry insiders to speculate.Meanwhile, Waymo appears to be scaling faster than its fleet can support. With 1,500 vehicles on the road today and another 2,000 expected by next year, the company has yet to activate highway operations, likely due to the increased wait times it would cause in already constrained markets.As Uber doubles down on global autonomous vehicle partnerships, Waymo appears to have cooled on Lyft, potently leaving them at a competitive disadvantage. As Uber aggressively ramps up its global autonomous vehicle partnerships, Waymo appears to have cooled on Lyft, potentially putting Lyft at a growing competitive disadvantage in the evolving autonomy economy.Episode Chapters0:00 On The Road2:03 Sterling Anderson Resigns from Aurora7:55 Autonomous Trucking Revenue Metrics of Success9:39 Waymo's New Factory12:38 How Many Cars Does Waymo Need in a Market?15:41 Autonomy Markets On The Road in D.C.20:30 Growth of Robotaxis on Uber & Lyft25:48 Is Uber Accelerating the Growth of Chineses AVs in Europe?30:13 What's Going on at Zoox?34:25 Rivian's Autonomy Ambitions37:42 Next WeekRecorded on Friday, May 9, 2025--------About The Road to AutonomyThe Road to Autonomy provides market intelligence and strategic advisory services to institutional investors and companies, delivering insights needed to stay ahead of emerging trends in the autonomy economy™. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com.Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this episode, we explore Lyft's evolving approach to autonomous vehicles and the future of rideshare. Rather than building its own L4 tech, Lyft is doubling down on its marketplace strengths—demand generation, rider experience, and fleet management—while teaming up with AV innovators like Mobileye. The company envisions a hybrid future where human drivers and AVs coexist, expanding the market rather than replacing people.We dive into how Lyft plans to support its diverse driver base—over two million strong annually—by creating new opportunities, such as turning today's drivers into tomorrow's AV fleet owners. Plus, we break down the economics of surge pricing, the complexities of fleet ops, and how Lyft compares to competitors like Uber and Waymo.
Disney's building coasters; Uber's hailing robotaxis. Which ride has the better growth engine? (00:14) David Meier and Mary Long discuss earnings from Disney and Uber. Then, (15:22), Ricky Mulvey talks with Gerard Barron, the CEO of The Metals Company, about the political hurdles TMC needs to clear in order to pick up rocks from the ocean floor. Companies discussed: DIS, UBER, GOOG, TMC Host: Mary Long Guests: David Meier, Gerard Barron Producer: Ricky Mulvey Engineer: Rick Engdahl Advertisements are sponsored content and provided for informational purposes only. The Motley Fool and its affiliates (collectively, "TMF") do not endorse, recommend, or verify the accuracy or completeness of the statements made within advertisements. TMF is not involved in the offer, sale, or solicitation of any securities advertised herein and makes no representations regarding the suitability, or risks associated with any investment opportunity presented. Investors should conduct their own due diligence and consult with legal, tax, and financial advisors before making any investment decisions. TMF assumes no responsibility for any losses or damages arising from this advertisement. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Earl Adams Jr., Vice President for Policy and Regulatory Affairs, Plus joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss how autonomous trucking is poised to transform local communities, economically, socially, and operationally. In Texas, Plus is actively working to deploy fully autonomous trucks in partnership with International by 2027. As part of the preparation for launch, Earl is meeting with community leaders, elected officials and community colleges in an effort to build transparency and trust with the local communities. When autonomous trucks are deployed, they will make our roads safer and they will have a positive economic benefit on society. The economic benefits of autonomous trucking will be felt in local communities as they will strengthening local businesses through increased spending in local communities.Autonomous trucking isn't just about moving freight, it's about creating opportunity without debt, while revitalizing communities, one route at a time.Episode Chapters0:00 Autonomous Trucking Policy4:20 Economic Impact of Autonomous Trucking5:58 Public Trust10:51 Community Colleges12:28 Impact on Society17:29 California DMV Autonomous Trucking Rulemaking 22:48 Hours of Service 27:57 Building & Maintaining Trust35:21 Autonomous Trucking Industry 40:35 Key Takeaways Recorded on Wednesday, April 30, 2025--------About The Road to AutonomyThe Road to Autonomy provides market intelligence and strategic advisory services to institutional investors and companies, delivering insights needed to stay ahead of emerging trends in the autonomy economy™. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com.Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss Waymo's potential new partnership with Toyota, the launch of Aurora's driver-out commercial operations and Uber's continued effort to challenge the autonomy duopoly. On Tuesday, Waymo announced a potential partnership with Toyota to develop personally-owned autonomous vehicles, confirming a business pivot in an effort to counter Tesla's upcoming robotaxi launch in Austin. Wile Waymo signals a shift in strategy, Aurora launched fully autonomous commercial operations in partnership with Uber Freight.As Uber became Aurora's first commercial customer, the rideshare side of their business continued to double-down on autonomy, as they further fragmented the autonomy market when they announced a strategic partnership with May Mobility to deploy AVs on the platform.Recorded on Thursday, April 24, 2025--------About The Road to AutonomyThe Road to Autonomy provides market intelligence and strategic advisory services to institutional investors and companies, delivering insights needed to stay ahead of emerging trends in the autonomy economy™. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com.Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Plus the Parker County Sheriff is giving more details on a triple-murder from late last month, three members of Congress from north Texas send a letter to the White House about federal funding for Dallas County, time is ticking on the Texas legislative session, and more!
In this episode, Harry speaks with Jeremy Bird, the Executive Vice President of Driver Experience at Lyft. They discuss Jeremy's role and responsibilities, including his focus on autonomous vehicles (AV) and their integration into Lyft's services. Jeremy emphasizes the importance of having an open and honest conversation about the impact of AVs on human drivers, highlighting the potential for a hybrid future where both AVs and human-driven cars coexist. He mentions Lyft's upcoming partnership with May Mobility to introduce AVs on the platform and stresses the need for economic mobility and support for drivers. The conversation also covers Lyft's commitment to driver earnings, transparency, and new initiatives like an enhanced rewards program and opportunities for drivers to advance or transition in their careers. Jeremy asserts that while AVs may bring changes, the goal is to grow the overall market and improve the driver and rider experience. 00:30 Intros 2:13 What is Lyft's main focus right now? 5:00 Should drivers be worried about AVs? 7:07 What has Waymo's growth been like? 10:04 How will Lyft assist drivers with the rise of AVs? 13:15 Will humans be an option in the future? 17:40 Are humans in competition with AVs? 25:06 Will drivers earn less money because of AVs? 29:29 Will driving for Lyft get better or worse in the future? 31:20 What is causing Lyft's success? 34:53 How does Lyft compare with Uber? 38:48 Where to find Jeremy https://www.lyft.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremy-bird-6a03aa11/ https://x.com/jeremybird
Sergey Litvinenko, Co-Founder & CEO, Koop joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss the emergence of autonomous vehicle fleets and why the fleet model is becoming the model for scaling autonomous vehicles globally. In the autonomous vehicle market there are new emerging business models for owning and operating the fleets from leasing to REIT-like structures to vertically integrated fleet mangers with each model posing it's own unique challenges. From insurance requirements to financing to operational complexities, making entering the sector difficult without the right partners. Yet despite these complexities, there are vast opportunities.Episode Chapters0:00 Autonomous Vehicle Fleets5:51 Autonomous Vehicle Fleet Franchises8:30 Individual Fleet Owners 14:42 Personally-Owned Autonomous Vehicles 18:41 Autonomous Driving Developers / OEM Partnerships 22:46 Insuring Autonomous Vehicle Fleets26:51 Bundling Autonomous Vehicle Insurance with Fleet Management 31:33 Rental Car Companies33:25 Autonomous Vehicle Fleet Model Challenges36:40 Future of Autonomous Vehicle FleetsRecorded on Friday, April 25, 2025--------About The Road to AutonomyThe Road to Autonomy provides market intelligence and strategic advisory services to institutional investors and companies, delivering insights needed to stay ahead of emerging trends in the autonomy economy™. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com.Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
As cities strive for safer streets and greener mobility, they face mounting challenges to navigating an increasingly complex global landscape. Political shifts are reshaping climate policies, market access, and the very definition of autonomy, as industry and government become more entwined. What does this mean for the future of urban transportation? The 2025 Autonomous Vehicles & the City Symposium brings together top innovators, policymakers, and urban planners to unpack these pressing issues. This year's symposium will focus on vision zero and data – going beyond the technical aspects of AVs—to examine how they intersect with climate goals and public transit to create greener, more connected communities. Opening Keynote by Kristin White, Google Transportation Industry Executive, ex-USDOT FHWA Administrator Hosted by the University of San Francisco School of Management. In partnership with The Commonwealth Club of California. For full program, please visit: https://www.commonwealthclub.org/events/archive/video/2025-autonomous-vehicles-city-symposium Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss Waymo's potential pivot away from HD maps, their 250,000 fully autonomous rides per week milestone, Tesla's pending robotaxi launch and Aurora's long-promised driver-out launch.In a post announcing the milestone on X, Waymo used the term "generalizable Waymo Driver”, potentially hinting that the company may move away from HD maps. Could Waymo be moving towards an end-to-end approach in similar fashion to Tesla?Tesla that is actively preparing to launch their robotaxis in Austin this June. Will they launch in June, or will they delay until July as Elon Musk hinted at on Tesla's Q1 2025 earnings call. When Tesla launches their robotaxi network, the market will change and the question becomes how does Waymo react?For the time being, all eyes are on Aurora, with just days left in April to meet their driver-out launch deadline, anxiety is building as the clock is ticking. The pressure is on to launch fully-autonomous, driver-out operations.Episode Chapters0:00 Waymo 250k Paid Rides a Week1:04 Generalizable Waymo Driver3:12 Highways Coming Soon for Waymo?4:33 Personally-Owned Waymo Vehicles?5:55 Personally-Owned Waymos Impact on Uber & Lyft9:39 Tesla Robotaxi Launch16:59 Tesla vs Waymo Robotaxi Costs18:07 Testing FSD Supervised in Europe19:02 Wayve Expands to Japan22:48 Uber / VW Robotaxi Partnership26:29 Toyota27:46 U.S. DOT Automated Vehicle Framework30:58 Aurora Driver-Out CountdownRecorded on Thursday, April 24, 2025--------About The Road to AutonomyThe Road to Autonomy® is a leading source of data, insight and commentary on autonomous vehicles/trucks and the emerging autonomy economy™.Autonomy is transforming industries and creating an entirely new economy that we call the autonomy economy™. The Road to Autonomy provides advisory and market intelligence services that helps you better understand the market and stay ahead of what's coming next. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com.Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
On Friday's show: We dig deeper on the Texas Education Agency's grades for Texas schools for the 2022-2023 school year, which were just released after a 19-month legal battle between the TEA and districts that sought to prevent their release. The agency gave HISD a C grade for that period.Also this hour: A local union wants to see an increase in the minimum wage for Houston hotel and airport workers, arguing they're not seeing the benefits of the area's growing number of visitors. We learn more about what they want and how it could impact that industry.Then, from bobblehead hoarding at a recent Astros game, to a driverless car that stopped driving, and (at least according to its passengers) wouldn't let them out, we ask our non-expert panel to weigh in on The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly of the week.And we talk with composer Missy Mazzoli about her opera adaptation of the Lars von Trier film Breaking the Waves, which explores heavy topics through a contemporary lens. The production is on stage at Houston Grand Opera thought May 4.
- U.S. Revises Autonomous Tech Rules - Waymo May Sell Robotaxis For Personal Ownership - Akio Toyoda Wants to Buy Toyota Supplier - BYD's Net Profit Soars 100% In Q1 - Stellantis and Factorial Hit Solid-State Battery Milestone - Volvo Kicks Off EX30 Production in Belgium - Slate Auto Unveils Low-Cost Electric Pickup - Autoline Yoke-Steering Wheel Poll
- U.S. Revises Autonomous Tech Rules - Waymo May Sell Robotaxis For Personal Ownership - Akio Toyoda Wants to Buy Toyota Supplier - BYD's Net Profit Soars 100% In Q1 - Stellantis and Factorial Hit Solid-State Battery Milestone - Volvo Kicks Off EX30 Production in Belgium - Slate Auto Unveils Low-Cost Electric Pickup - Autoline Yoke-Steering Wheel Poll
In this thought-provoking episode of Play the King Win the Day, host Brad Banyas sits down with Noah Kenney, (AI) Research & Development, ethical AI strategist, entrepreneur and founder of Disruptive AI Lab. Together, they explore the transformative impact of artificial intelligence (AI) across major industries—including healthcare, finance, and transportation.Noah Kenney shares expert insights on the future of autonomous vehicles, the role of AI in medical diagnostics, and the growing challenge of misinformation and algorithmic bias. The discussion dives into the ethical complexities of AI-generated content, intellectual property in the age of generative tools, and the global push for standardized, human-centered AI governance.This episode also introduces the Global Artificial Intelligence Framework (GAIF)—a pioneering set of guidelines designed to ensure AI is developed and deployed responsibly.Noah Kenney offers fresh insights into AI that will broaden your perspective—whether you're in technology, business, policy, or simply curious. Play the King, Win the Day!*wisdom to power your success.
- Trump Considers Tariff Relief in Some Areas, But Not Others - Hyundai and Renault Make Tariff Adjustments - U.S. Providing New Direction for AV Tech - VW to Supply Autonomous I.D.BUZZ's to Uber - Gas Companies Challenge California's Emission Waiver - Nissan on Track for Historical Loss - EVs Account for Over 17% of Renault's Q1 Sales - EU Car Sales Up in March - Ferrari Could Get EV Platform from Leapmotor
- Trump Considers Tariff Relief in Some Areas, But Not Others - Hyundai and Renault Make Tariff Adjustments - U.S. Providing New Direction for AV Tech - VW to Supply Autonomous I.D.BUZZ's to Uber - Gas Companies Challenge California's Emission Waiver - Nissan on Track for Historical Loss - EVs Account for Over 17% of Renault's Q1 Sales - EU Car Sales Up in March - Ferrari Could Get EV Platform from Leapmotor
Top Story: Corey Clothier tells us about autonomous vehicles: The history of autonomous vehicles Where and how robotaxis work The future and what autonomous vehicles will look like in the coming years
Christian John, President, TIER IV North America joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss how TIER IV is scaling open-source autonomous driving platform software globally. Tier IV is using the foundational elements of Autoware, an open-source autonomous driving software stack to build scalable, modular reference platforms for everything from robotaxis to autonomous buses and industrial logistics. This open platform approach allows multiple companies to collaborate, innovate, and distribute development costs across the ecosystem, similar to Meta's open-source LLama model for AI.In Japan, TIER IV is experiencing particular success with autonomous buses in Japan, where they've secured approximately 50% of municipal contracts as part of Japan's Mobility DX initiative addressing the country's aging population and driver shortage.As autonomy scales globally, open-source autonomous driving software could play a vital role. It's a role that TIER IV wants to play in the global autonomy market.Episode Chapters0:00 TIER IV Platform6:27 Open-Source Software8:25 Autoware9:52 Building on the TIER IV Platform11:52 Japanese Autonomy Market17:32 Nippon Steel21:46 Vehicle Platforms 23:51 Developing Public Trust26:31 Robotaxis31:58 Scaling in North America 36:00 Future of TIER IVRecorded on Friday, April 18, 2025--------About The Road to AutonomyThe Road to Autonomy® is a leading source of data, insight and commentary on autonomous vehicles/trucks and the emerging autonomy economy™.Autonomy is transforming industries and creating an entirely new economy that we call the autonomy economy™. The Road to Autonomy provides advisory and market intelligence services that helps you better understand the market and stay ahead of what's coming next. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com.Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss Kodiak starting the process to become a publicly traded company, the anxiety leading up to Aurora's driver-out commercial launch and Lyft's expansion into Europe through the acquisition of FREENOW.Kodiak has officially filed to go public in a $2.5 billion SPAC deal, backed by a $100 million PIPE and a 100-truck order from Atlas Energy that signals strong market confidence. Aurora's long-anticipated driver-out commercial launch is drawing closer, with industry watchers counting the days and parsing every signal for an indication of launch. On the platform side of autonomy, Lyft is expanding to the UK and Europe through a $197 million acquisition of FREENOW. Now that Lyft has European operations, there is a path for the company to scale robotaxis on two continents.It appears that Lyft is gearing up to compete with Uber more aggressively, while in the U.S., Waymo continues to grow their Waymo One service which overtime will capture marketshare from both Uber and Lyft. Meanwhile, Walt headed out to LA to get an on the ground understanding of how Waymo is scaling in the City of Angles and how Angelenos are currently thinking about autonomous vehicles. Episode Chapters0:00 Walt's LA Adventure2:08 Waymos in LA9:40 Kodiak Files to Go Public17:10 HD Maps20:41 Aurora's Driver-Out Moment24:22 Lyft Acquires FREENOW, Expands to Europe30:00 Nuro Expands to Japan31:10 Sidewalk Delivery Bots35:10 Tesla FSD38:27 Waymo's Upcoming Atlanta Launch on Uber41:04 Next WeekRecorded on Thursday, April 17, 2025--------About The Road to AutonomyThe Road to Autonomy® is a leading source of data, insight and commentary on autonomous vehicles/trucks and the emerging autonomy economy™.Autonomy is transforming industries and creating an entirely new economy that we call the autonomy economy™. The Road to Autonomy provides advisory and market intelligence services that helps you better understand the market and stay ahead of what's coming next. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com.Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
In this conversation, Josh Young discusses the challenges and successes in the commercial construction industry, focusing on business growth, leadership, and the impact of private equity. He explores the importance of pushing team members to exceed their limits, learning from mistakes, and the complexities of navigating the commercial landscape. The discussion covers strategizing for scaling businesses, restructuring profitability for sustainability, and maximizing productivity through effective time management. The conversation also delves into the role of technology and AI in business operations, the future of autonomous vehicles, and the need for education and apprenticeship programs in trades to bridge the talent gap. Don't forget to register for Tommy's event, Freedom 2025! This is the event where Tommy's billion-dollar network will break down exactly how to accelerate your business and dominate your market in 2025. For more details visit freedomevent.com Show Notes: 00:00 Transforming Challenges into Opportunities 02:06 Navigating Business Growth and Fluctuations 06:00 Understanding the Commercial Landscape 09:51 Learning from Mistakes and Leadership 14:10 The Role of Private Equity in Business Growth 17:58 Building a Legacy and Future Goals 21:55 The Importance of Leadership and Team Dynamics 27:43 The Power of Storytelling in Sales 30:04 Building Trust and Relationships with Clients 32:54 The Importance of Networking and Learning 36:12 Scaling and Growth Strategies in Business 39:03 Profitability and Business Sustainability 41:52 Maximizing Time and Productivity 44:47 Embracing Technology and AI in Business 48:00 The Future of Autonomous Vehicles and Its Impact 50:04 Education and Apprenticeship in Trades
How Sama is Improving ML Models to Make AVs Safer // MLOps Podcast #307 with Duncan Curtis, SVP of Product and Technology at Sama.Join the Community: https://go.mlops.community/YTJoinIn Get the newsletter: https://go.mlops.community/YTNewsletter // AbstractBetween Uber's partnership with NVIDIA and speculation around the U.S.'s President Donald Trump enacting policies that allow fully autonomous vehicles, it's more important than ever to ensure the accuracy of machine learning models. Yet, the public's confidence in AVs is shaky due to scary accidents caused by gaps in the tech that Sama is looking to fill.As one of the industry's top leaders, Duncan Curtis, SVP of Product and Technology at Sama, would be delighted to share how we can improve the accuracy, speed, and cost-efficiency of ML algorithms for AVs. Sama's machine learning technologies minimize the risk of model failure and lower the total cost of ownership for car manufacturers including Ford, BMW, and GM, as well as four of the five top OEMs and their Tier 1 suppliers. This is especially timely as Tesla is under investigation for crashes due to its Smart Summon feature and Waymo recently had a passenger trapped in one of its driverless taxis.// BioDuncan Curtis is the SVP of Product at Sama, a leader in de-risking ML models, delivering best-in-class data annotation solutions with our enterprise-strength, experience & expertise, and ethical AI approach. To this leadership role, he brings 4 years of Autonomous Vehicle experience as the Head of Product at Zoox (now part of Amazon) and VP of Product at Aptiv, and 4 years of AI experience as a product manager at Google where he delighted the +1B daily active users of the Play Store and Play Games. // Related LinksWebsite: https://www.sama.com/Tesla is under investigation: https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/07/business/nhtsa-tesla-smart-summon-probe/index.htmlWaymo recently had a passenger trapped: https://www.cbsnews.com/losangeles/news/la-man-nearly-misses-flight-as-self-driving-waymo-taxi-drives-around-parking-lot-in-circles/https://coruzant.com/profiles/duncan-curtis/https://builtin.com/articles/remove-bias-from-machine-learning-algorithms~~~~~~~~ ✌️Connect With Us ✌️ ~~~~~~~Catch all episodes, blogs, newsletters, and more: https://go.mlops.community/TYExploreJoin our slack community [https://go.mlops.community/slack]Follow us on X/Twitter [@mlopscommunity](https://x.com/mlopscommunity) or [LinkedIn](https://go.mlops.community/linkedin)] Sign up for the next meetup: [https://go.mlops.community/register]MLOps Swag/Merch: [https://shop.mlops.community/]Connect with Demetrios on LinkedIn: /dpbrinkmConnect with Luca on LinkedIn: /duncan-curtis
Guest: Dr. Bruce Y LeeSenior Contributor @Forbes | Professor | CEO | Writer/Journalist | Entrepreneur | Digital & Computational Health | #AI | bruceylee.substack.com | bruceylee.com Bruce Y. Lee, MD, MBA is a writer, journalist, systems modeler, AI, computational and digital health expert, professor, physician, entrepreneur, and avocado-eater, not always in that order.Executive Director of PHICOR (Public Health Informatics, Computational, and Operations Research) [@PHICORteam]On LinkedIn | https://www.linkedin.com/in/bruce-y-lee-68a6834/Website | https://www.bruceylee.com/_____________________________Host: Marco Ciappelli, Co-Founder at ITSPmagazine [@ITSPmagazine] and Host of Redefining Society PodcastVisit Marco's website
Doug McCollough has been CIO of leading digital cities, including Dublin, Ohio where he helped lead that small city to multiple awards, including ICF's Top7. He recently took over the role of Executive Director for the ICF Institute, and was recently names the first-ever Executive Director of the Beta District, which spans several cities in the most important industrial corridor of Central Ohio. And he is producing a Future of Mobility Conference in May that will bring new ideas to the life of urban movement. Known for his sharp turns toward innovation and intellectual prowess when it comes to understanding the link between connectivity, economic growth and social development, McCollough has been a leader in ICF's global intelligent community movement and one of its most popular speakers. Doug McCollough works to connect people to opportunities, remove barriers, and promote change in initiatives ranging from Smart and Connected Cities, IT Workforce Development, expanding broadband access, Connected and Autonomous Vehicles, and Blockchain. Now serving as the Executive Director of The Beta District in Central Ohio, which organizes innovation, development, and investment in Smart Mobility industry sectors, he speaks as a Subject Matter Expert and advocate on using technology for community development. Doug is also the CEO of Color Coded Labs, which targets underserved, underrepresented, and marginalized communities, seeking gritty working adults for new, transformative career pathways in the technology industry, and co-founder of The Columbus Rising Project, which fights against the digital divide by sharing basic tech skills in the Columbus, Ohio region. Prior to his current work, Doug held positions within the State of Ohio Departments of Public Safety, Commerce, Industrial Commission, and Medicaid. He served as the Director of Information Technology for the City of Richmond, Virginia, and as CIO for the City of Dublin, Ohio. He is on the boards of Per Scholas Columbus, TECH CORPS, and Jewish Family Services of Columbus, is a cofounder of Black Tech Columbus, and former Trustee for the Central Ohio Transit Authority. Doug earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Toledo in Information Systems and Operations Management and a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Notre Dame.
Jim Liefer, CEO, Ambi Robotics joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss how physical AI is transforming warehouse automation and redefining global supply chain efficiency. Ambi Robotics systems have logged over 200,000 hours of real-world autonomous operations, equivalent to 22 years of experience. As the foundation models powering these systems continue to ingest more data, their performance and accuracy will only improve with time.While scaling its autonomous systems, Ambi Robotics remains focused on human-robot collaboration rather than full automation. The company is actively working to transform physically demanding warehouse roles into higher-paying robot operator positions that require minimal training.Despite all of the current economic uncertainties, large logistics companies are continuing to invest in automation, recognizing it as an essential tool for managing the ever-increasing volume of goods moving through global supply chains.Episode Chapters0:00 Future of Robotics 1:56 Training Data3:50 AmbiSort6:42 Unlocking Efficiencies7:58 Deploying an Ambi System10:06 Customer Data13:13 Fully Automated Warehouses and Jobs 18:33 Humans in the Loop22:46 Packaging 25:50 Warehouse Trends27:58 Investing in Automation & Autonomy29:54 Business of Ambi Robotics34:48 Future of Ambi RoboticsRecorded on Monday, April 7, 2025--------About The Road to AutonomyThe Road to Autonomy® is a leading source of data, insight and commentary on autonomous vehicles/trucks and the emerging autonomy economy™.Autonomy is transforming industries and creating an entirely new economy that we call the autonomy economy™. The Road to Autonomy provides advisory and market intelligence services that helps you better understand the market and stay ahead of what's coming next. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com.Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Self-driving Waymo robotaxis are now commonplace on the streets of San Francisco. Feelings about these autonomous vehicles vary — from excitement, to amusement, to outright hostility. Some have even gone so far as to vandalize the cars. In this episode from KQED's Close All Tabs podcast, Morgan Sung speaks with Bloomberg journalist Ellen Huet and law professor Ryan Calo to explore the rise of Waymo vandalism, and its roots in our collective anxiety over AI. Links: Waymo's Expansion Provokes Anxieties of AI Takeover – Ellen Huet, Bloomberg The next big robotaxi push is almost here — Harri Weber, Quartz The Courts Can Handle the Deadly Uber Self-Driving Car Crash. But that doesn't mean the law is ready for autonomous vehicles. — Ryan Calo, Slate Good Robot, Bad Robot: Dark and Creepy Sides of Robotics, Autonomous Vehicles, and AI — Jo Ann Oravec, Professor at the University of Wisconsin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss Wayve's OEM partnership with Nissan, Nuro's Series E capital raise and why the Uber/Waymo partnership in Austin does not guarantee future deployments. Wayve is going to power Nissan's next-generation ProPILOT technology starting in fiscal year 2027. The deal with Nissan validates Wayve's business model of licensing and raises the question of is Nuro next in line to secure a major OEM partnership? As the autonomy economy evolves, licensing autonomous driving systems is going to accelerate fragmentation, potentially benefitting both Uber and Lyft. In Austin, Waymo is available exclusively through Uber. While early signs point to success, it's far from guaranteed that the partnership will scale beyond Austin and Atlanta, especially as Waymo continues to expand on it's own with Waymo One.Episode Chapters0:00 Wayve Partners with Nissan 3:12 Autonomous Driving OEM Partnerships 5:24 Nuro Series E7:12 Autonomous Driving Partnerships Ecosystem 13:01 Could Tesla xAI Swap Assets?17:19 Zoox Expands Testing to LA18:27 Will Zoox Launch Commercial Service in 2025?20:25 Waymo Needs More OEM Partnerships 23:40 U.S. / China Policy 28:00 Europe / China Policy 31:19 Uber / Waymo Austin Data 36:49 Unforced Error of The Week38:52 Next WeekRecorded on Friday, April 11, 2025--------About The Road to AutonomyThe Road to Autonomy® is a leading source of data, insight and commentary on autonomous vehicles/trucks and the emerging autonomy economy™.Autonomy is transforming industries and creating an entirely new economy that we call the autonomy economy™. The Road to Autonomy provides advisory and market intelligence services that helps you better understand the market and stay ahead of what's coming next. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com.Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Pete Bigelow, Senior Reporter, Automotive News joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss how Detroit is handing tariffs, the slow adoption of electric vehicles and consumers increasing interest in autonomous vehicles. Detroit's automakers are grappling with a future that is no longer electric, it's autonomous. After racing full steam ahead towards electric vehicles, the momentum has stalled as consumers are opting for hybrids. Even as consumers opt for hybrids, they are increasingly interested in autonomy and the emergence of personally-owned autonomous vehicles. However, the question still remains whether traditional OEMs have the will or the ability to develop in-house and commercialize an autonomous driving system that is reelable and scaleable. If they can not develop it in-house, they will have to license the technology with the risk of becoming a contract manufacturer for the autonomy industry. Episode Chapters0:00 The Mood in Detroit4:17 Tariffs / Exporting Detroit 6:54 Electrification9:30 Will Economic Uncertainty Lead to the Rise of Personally-Owned Autonomous Vehicles?15:03 Jeep, an Autonomy Brand17:26 GM & Ford's Fully Autonomous Aspirations 19:55 Rising Road Fatalities 26:59 Tesla Will Drive Me Home Trend28:49 No Steering Wheel, No Pedals30:58 Waymo Hyundai Robotaxis are Made in America 31:45 Factories of The Future35:19 Scaling Waymo40:56 Tesla's June Robotaxi Launch43:20 Aurora Driver-Out in Texas48:51 What To Look for in The Markets Recorded on Monday, April 7, 2025--------About The Road to AutonomyThe Road to Autonomy® is a leading source of data, insight and commentary on autonomous vehicles/trucks and the emerging autonomy economy™.Autonomy is transforming industries and creating an entirely new economy that we call the autonomy economy™. The Road to Autonomy provides advisory and market intelligence services that helps you better understand the market and stay ahead of what's coming next. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com.Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
There has been a buildout of platforms for various marketplace sectors in the past 15 years, though ridesharing essentially remains a duopoly. Lyft's CEO David Risher talks to Bloomberg Intelligence's senior tech analyst Mandeep Singh about the ridesharing marketplace in this episode of Tech Disruptors. David also discusses the company's positioning in the autonomous-vehicle segment and his views on the technology, alliances and challenges involved in scaled adoption.
This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss Waymo's unforced error with the Zeekr RT robotaxi, Uber's future with autonomous vehicles and the winners and losers from the latest round of tariffs. Waymo's Zeekr RT robotaxi has seen its price double due to a 100% tariff on Chinese-made vehicles, igniting a debate over whether Waymo made an unforced error with their Zeekr partnership. Could tariffs either accelerate a new OEM partnership for Waymo or see them abandon it all together?Meanwhile, Uber's autonomy ambitions are accelerating and gaining momentum globally. This week, Uber announced a partnership with WeRide and the Dubai Road and Transport Authority to deploy robotaxis in Dubai. Could Uber's largest autonomy market end up being outside the U.S.? Grayson and Walter debate the issue, while exploring the implications that tariffs will have on the autonomy ecosystem.Episode Chapters0:00 Tariffs 1:05 Impact of Tariffs on Waymo6:26 Does Waymo Need to Slim Down?9:10 Tesla FSD Unsupervised Launch11:41 Tariffs and The Trucking Industry 13:57 May Mobility 14:27 LiDAR Market18:25 Energy22:46 Uber's Global Ambitions 25:15 Scaling Waymo31:00 Uber App37:23 Waymo Messaging 40:17 Zoox41:23 Lyft46:37 Personally-Owned Autonomous Vehicles 49:58 Next WeekRecorded on Thursday, April 3, 2025--------About The Road to AutonomyThe Road to Autonomy® is a leading source of data, insight and commentary on autonomous vehicles/trucks and the emerging autonomy economy™.Autonomy is transforming industries and creating an entirely new economy that we call the autonomy economy™. The Road to Autonomy provides advisory and market intelligence services that helps you better understand the market and stay ahead of what's coming next. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com.Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
The development of Intelligent Connected Vehicles (ICVs) and Autonomous Vehicles (AVs) represents a pivotal technological and economic frontier. China and the United States are vying for supremacy in this sector which could define global leadership in the next few decades. As these technologies advance, they carry concerns for road safety, personal data protection, and ethics. Differing regulatory environments, cybersecurity issues, and technology decoupling efforts create divergent innovation priorities and processes between the two countries. On March 6, 2025, Rui Ma and Lei Xing joined Peilei Fan to explore the state of ICV/AV technologies in both the United States and China, as well as areas of competition and potential collaboration. Learn more about this program and watch the YouTube video here.
Jeremy Bird, EVP, Driver Experience, Lyft joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss Lyft's approach to autonomous vehicles and why Lyft is embracing a hybrid network strategy. As part of their autonomous vehicle strategy, Lyft is developing partnerships with autonomous vehicle developers and vehicle manufacturers that will enable them to put their AVs on the Lyft network. Lyft envisions a hybrid network, one where autonomous vehicle fleets, individually owned autonomous vehicle, and human drivers are all utilizing the and profiting from the Lyft network. Episode Chapters0:00 Lyft's Current Thinking on Autonomy 1:42 ETAs2:46 Airports6:43 Personally-Owned Autonomous Vehicles9:31 Autonomous Vehicle Fleets11:16 Lyft Ready Autonomous Vehicles12:43 Hybrid Network Operations 18:12 May Mobility 23:31 Waymo24:32 J.P. Morgan Partnership 26:08 Lyft AV Tier27:18 Motoring Down the AV Superhighway 30:17 Tesla31:31 Insurance 35:53 Lyft Culture39:11 Future of LyftRecorded on Wednesday, March 5, 2025--------About The Road to AutonomyThe Road to Autonomy® is a leading source of data, insight and commentary on autonomous vehicles/trucks and the emerging autonomy economy™.Autonomy is transforming industries and creating an entirely new economy that we call the autonomy economy™. The Road to Autonomy provides advisory and market intelligence services that helps you better understand the market and stay ahead of what's coming next. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com.Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss their road trip to Forward Forth Worth, Waymo's expansion to Washington, D.C. and the emerging opportunity in autonomous trucking.Texas is thriving capital of autonomous trucking with Aurora, Bot Auto, Kodiak, Torc and Waabi all having a presence in the state. Now autonomous vehicle companies are flocking to the state with Avride, May Mobility, Waymo and Zoox all having a presence in the state.While Texas emerges as the capital of autonomy, Waymo continues to solidify its lead as the world leader in robotaxis. With their lead in tact and the demand for their service growing, Waymo announced this week that they are expanding service to Washington, D.C. in 2026. As both Waymo continues to grow and expand, the economic impact of autonomy is only just beginning to be felt.Episode Chapters0:00 Waymo Subreddit01:17 Forward Fort Worth03:10 Insurance06:55 Investing in Autonomous Trucking11:56 May Mobility Arlington Deployment13:56 Autonomy Markets on the Road17:28 Waymo Announces Service is Coming to D.C. in 202621:41 Waymo / Uber Relationship26:50 Waymo Testing Zeekr Robotaxis on I-85 in Atlanta27:44 Waymo, The World Leader in Robotaxis30:46 London31:56 New York33:34 Autonomy Markets Confessions34:34 Waymo Scheduled Rides38:05 Waymo Pricing41:08 Tesla's June Robotaxi Launch48:03 Next WeekRecorded on Tuesday, March 25, 2025--------About The Road to AutonomyThe Road to Autonomy® is a leading source of data, insight and commentary on autonomous vehicles/trucks and the emerging autonomy economy™.Autonomy is transforming industries and creating an entirely new economy that we call the autonomy economy™. The Road to Autonomy provides advisory and market intelligence services that helps you better understand the market and stay ahead of what's coming next. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com.Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
You can be a founder. You can be an investor. You can be an operator. Or, you can be Shalin Mantri and be all three. This respected product leader got his start by founding a mobile app startup in the early iPhone days in 2011 and followed it up with product leadership in the early days of Uber, Skip and more recently, Google. He angel invests with $5k – $50k checks as a true first believer, usually in companies where he has a personal connection with the founder. He shares his tiered angel investment system, where he sees autonomous vehicles going (and not going), his thoughts on AI, how AI might have transformed Uber's early days, and what he thinks of the rise of multi-billion-dollar, 1-pizza companies. HighlightsShalin has a tiered system for evaluating angel deals, and ultimately, determining how much he's willing to invest.Uber experienced incredible growth from its founding in 2009 through the 2010s when Shalin came aboard as a product manager. He chats about how he thinks AI would've changed Uber's story if it had been around at the time. Shalin explains how AI is running a parallel path with autonomous vehicles, especially when it comes to scaling up without losing product integrity. Just like with AVs, the bar is high for reliability, safety, and performance for AI tech. Recently, the search bar has been less of a source of information and more of a source of frustration. Shalin is focusing on building a solution to improve search, with the help of AI, of course. Company headcounts are getting smaller, and yet their valuations are getting bigger. Shalin's not necessarily sold on the 1-company, 1-billion dollar company just yet, but he sees the trendline moving in that direction. (00:00) - 01 - Shalin/Shaherose A/V (02:19) - How Shalin evaluates angel deals and deploys checks (13:20) - Working at Uber during the early(ish) days (17:59) - Not all growth is good growth (26:26) - Exploring the interplay between AI and AVs (34:07) - When the big bet doesn't lead to the big payoff (37:42) - Why AI is making it a confusing and exciting time for PMs (42:51) - What's wrong with search these days? Is search being rewritten - again? (46:40) - Scaling companies down to 1 pizza and 1 pizza only (58:39) - Shalin's AI angel investments
Lulu Cheng Meservey puts founders in control of their narrative using one simple principle: Go Direct. This week, we're revisiting our conversation with the CEO and Founder of Rostra, the go-to communications agency for Silicon Valley founders. Lulu joins Lightspeed Partner and Host Michael Mignano on the podcast to talk about her modern communications playbook for founders of places like Ramp, SSI, Scale, Anduril, Suno, and The Free Press. They talk about why a comms strategy is just as important as a product strategy. Plus, Lulu shares her after action reports on Based Zuck, SpaceX, Tesla, and Waymo. Episode Chapters:(00:00) Introduction (01:29) Why Founder Led Communication Works (03:47) Challenges and Strategies for Founders(06:49) Lulu's Career Experience(08:34) Substack (12:11) Have a Clear Company Mission (18:01) The ‘Go Direct' Manifesto(23:59) Traditional Media in Communication Strategy(24:40) Targeted Communication: Persuading Key Decision Makers(25:54) Effective Use of Press and Media Outlets(28:30) Lulu's After Action Report: Tesla's Recent Event(36:11) Apple's Strategy and Public Perception(38:46) Waymo's Underrated Progress in Autonomous Vehicles(40:17) Meta's Positive Feedback Loop and Based Zuck(43:42) The Importance of Founder-Led Companies(47:27) Final ThoughtsStay in touch:www.lsvp.comX: https://twitter.com/lightspeedvpLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lightspeed-venture-partners/Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lightspeedventurepartners/Subscribe on your favorite podcast app: generativenow.coEmail: generativenow@lsvp.comThe content here does not constitute tax, legal, business or investment advice or an offer to provide such advice, should not be construed as advocating the purchase or sale of any security or investment or a recommendation of any company, and is not an offer, or solicitation of an offer, for the purchase or sale of any security or investment product. For more details please see lsvp.com/legal.
Nat Beuse, Chief Safety Officer, Aurora joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss the development of Aurora's Safety Case Framework and how the company is preparing to safely launch fully autonomous commercial trucks.Aurora's rigorous safety case framework is built around trust, transparency and continuous improvement. From fostering a deeply ingrained safety culture to closely collaborating with OEM partners Volvo and PACCAR, as well as hardware partner Continental, Aurora is focused on deploying commercial autonomous trucks that operate safely and reliably without human intervention.Episode Chapters0:00 NHTSA Experience 2:38 Roadway Safety8:03 Aurora's Culture of Safety21:20 Developing the Safety Case Framework25:22 Closing the Safety Case26:41 Preparing for Commercial Launch 31:21 Driver-Out Operations39:38 OEM Partners42:19 Redundancy43:50 Remote Monitoring 49:37 Launch Day53:38 Key TakeawayRecorded on Friday, March 14, 2025--------About The Road to AutonomyThe Road to Autonomy® is a leading source of data, insight and commentary on autonomous vehicles/trucks and the emerging autonomy economy™.Autonomy is transforming industries and creating an entirely new economy that we call the autonomy economy™. The Road to Autonomy provides advisory and market intelligence services that helps you better understand the market and stay ahead of what's coming next. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com.Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss Waymo's mapping expansion to San Francisco International Airport (SFO), their continued Bay Area expansion and Tesla's ambitious plans for launching a FSD Unsupervised. As Waymo begins mapping SFO, there are still hurdles that the company has to overcome before offering commercial service, as their current permit prohibits transporting commercial goods or passengers. When Waymo applies for their ground transportation operating permit, The Teamsters are expected to oppose Waymo's permit application it in an effort to block the service. Despite this potential challenge, we expect commercial operations at the airport to begin by this summer, as there is a clear economic benefit to San Francisco's economy. Down at Giga in Austin, Elon Musk held an all-hands meeting where he outlined his bold plans for FSD Unsupervised and the company's upcoming robotaxi service. At some point, Tesla will “crack” full self-driving and when they do, Waymo will have their first true competitor.Episode Chapters0:00 Waymo Begins Mapping SFO9:14 Waymo Airport Predictions (SFO, SJC, LAX)11:13 Waymo Nashville Prediction13:16 Waymo / Hyundai Prediction14:38 Waymo's Continued Bay Area Expansion 19:13 Uber, Lyft and the Growth of Waymo21:04 Waymo Zeekr Robotaxis26:43 Waymo on Uber in Austin30:59 Could Waymo be Expanding to the UK?34:16 Tesla Unsupervised 35:43 Tesla All-Hands Meeting37:36 Tesla CPUC Permit38:47 NVIDIA GTC42:04 Truck OEMs46:57 Unforced Error of The Week48:51 Next WeekRecorded on Friday, March 21, 2025--------About The Road to AutonomyThe Road to Autonomy® is a leading source of data, insight and commentary on autonomous vehicles/trucks and the emerging autonomy economy™.Autonomy is transforming industries and creating an entirely new economy that we call the autonomy economy™. The Road to Autonomy provides advisory and market intelligence services that helps you better understand the market and stay ahead of what's coming next. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com.Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-economy/See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
What's next in the battle over congestion tolling in New York City after the transportation secretary extends the city's deadline? Also, the chair of the Truck Leasing Task Force discusses how everyday truckers showed how the system is broke. Then, as autonomous vehicle companies ramp up their plans to deploy products, the public's concerns grow. And spring thaw restrictions are going into effect. A Minnesota DOT official explains how it all works. 0:00 – DOT extends deadline to stop congestion pricing 10:01– Official explains how lease-purchase stories changed his mind 24:27 – Public concerns grow over autonomous vehicles 39:25 – Truckers beware – spring thaw restrictions are here
Send Everyday AI and Jordan a text messageYou ever autonomously land a robot on Mars?
AI runs on NVIDIA and it was never more clear than at this week's GTC where new AI chips and robots were announced. Plus, Google's good new AI tools & the best AI Video to date. Plus, dangerous new robots terrify us, insane new AI camera tools, DeepSeek is VERY important to the Chinese gov't, the hidden dangers of vibe coding and Claude 3.7 Sonnet MAX is already here but not many people know. **GO AND VISIT OUR SPONSOR Y'ALL** bubble.io/aiforhumans Join the discord: https://discord.gg/muD2TYgC8f Join our Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/AIForHumansShow AI For Humans Newsletter: https://aiforhumans.beehiiv.com/ Follow us for more on X @AIForHumansShow Join our TikTok @aiforhumansshow To book us for speaking, please visit our website: https://www.aiforhumans.show/ // Show Links // NVIDIA Announcements From GTC https://www.reuters.com/technology/everything-nvidia-announced-its-annual-developer-conference-gtc-2025-03-18/ Full NVIDIA Presentation https://www.youtube.com/live/_waPvOwL9Z8?si=-Jfn-egyOrzmfKg_ New NVIDIA Chips: Blackwell Ultra (2025) Vera Rubin (2026) and Fenyman (2028) https://www.cnbc.com/2025/03/18/nvidia-announces-blackwell-ultra-and-vera-rubin-ai-chips-.html GM & NVIDIA Partnering on Autonomous Vehicles https://www.theverge.com/news/631951/gm-nvidia-gtc-deal-cars-robots-factories 1x Neo Supposedly Not TeleOp at GTC https://x.com/chris_j_paxton/status/1902115016717033937 GR00T N1 Open-Sourced Robotics https://www.theverge.com/news/631743/nvidia-issac-groot-n1-robotics-foundation-model-available Google's New Image Gen https://x.com/OfficialLoganK/status/1899853465922175427 Change of Subject, Same Style https://x.com/karansirdesai/status/1901579146930586027 Changing Clothes https://x.com/JakubNorkiewicz/status/1900977686182273368 Shaving a Stuffed Monkey: https://www.reddit.com/r/singularity/comments/1jbrh8m/gemini_shaved_a_plusch_monkey/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button Photoshop vs Gemini Example https://x.com/madpencil_/status/1901584829038444707 Passport Photos For Animals https://x.com/nicdunz/status/1901373911985496354 Our version https://x.com/AIForHumansShow/status/1901421588828008819 Watermark Removal https://x.com/ThatArrowsmith/status/1901203776746201556 Kevin's AI Eyes Fail https://x.com/Attack/status/1901810572255228130 Audio Overview in Gemini + Canvas https://x.com/sundarpichai/status/1902028968343048359 Roblox Text-To-3D Prompts In Game https://x.com/Roblox/status/1901664945840013352 New Stability AI Virtual Camera https://x.com/StabilityAI/status/1902033312379732171 Similar: Recam Master https://jianhongbai.github.io/ReCamMaster/ Deep Seek Now Chinese National Treasure https://www.theinformation.com/articles/deepseek-national-treasure-china-now-closely-guarded?rc=c3oojq&shared=bbea54dee18f942d Claude 3.7 MAX is HERE https://forum.cursor.com/t/max-mode-for-claude-3-7-out-now/65698 Unitree Sideflip https://x.com/UnitreeRobotics/status/1902218781268832538 BostonDynamics Did It Two Years Ago? https://x.com/kevin_zakka/status/1902226202968125500 EngineAI Robot Dances With Knives https://x.com/engineairobot/status/1901481743976399102 Our video I made for who trained them: https://x.com/AIForHumansShow/status/1901787427154673903 Deep Robotics Dodge Deception https://x.com/WevolverApp/status/1901402823419445607 Fun Trick you can do with Computer https://x.com/me_irl/status/1901497992865071428 Karen Unleashed: The Best AI Video To Date? https://x.com/aiordieshow/status/1901930851127984291
OOIDA has some concerns about NHTSA's proposed regulations for autonomous trucks – including that fact that reporting would be voluntary. Also, Andrew King with the OOIDA Foundation explains which trucking issues he'll talk about during the upcoming Mid-America Trucking Show. And how long should a restart of your weekly clock take under the hours-of-service regulations? OOIDA tour truck driver Marty Ellis says some truckers object to the current requirement. 0:00 – Newscast 10:01– Should autonomous vehicle reporting be voluntary? 24:27 – The big issues that will come up at MATS 39:25 – Some truckers say 34 hours is too long for restart
OOIDA wants NHTSA to require greater transparency regarding autonomous vehicles instead of voluntary reporting of testing and other issues. Also, CVSA has compiled a list of what constitutes a great truck driver – and it plans to honor one trucker with a special award. Then, should a trucker ask law enforcement for a ticket instead of a warning? That raises a lot of questions. We'll get some answers from Road Law. And for years, states have slowly but surely moved away from split speed limits. Now, one state is considering legislation to create a new one. 0:00 – OOIDA: Require reporting on autonomous vehicles 10:01– CVSA will honor a driver for excellence 24:27 – A ticket instead of a warning? Maybe, maybe not 39:25 – New Mexico considers split speed limit
Alex Roy and his co-pilots recently made two historic coast to coast trips - California to New York - in his brand new Model S. Their mission: Measure the efficiency and safety of the Tesla FSD system. How close was Tesla to mastering full autonomy? Roy and Team use two key metrics. The first is the total number of disengagements – whether voluntary or involuntary. The second: How quickly could the system recover after a disengagement? Roy, who previously set the Electric Car Cannonball record in his Tesla, has now turned his focus to autonomous driving. His central question: How soon will cars be able to drive themselves coast to coast allowing us to take a nap in the back seat? I first met Alex Roy in 2018 at a private industry event south of Munich. He's one of a kind - colorful, smart and professional. You will enjoy his vivid first-hand account of the cannonball runs, both the triumphs and the reversals - like the time the team encountered a good old-fashioned midwestern thunderstorm in Indiana. How exactly did The Model S and the FSD system respond to that crush of water? Alex Roy, partner, New Industry Venture Capital on the Driving With Dunne podcast.
Beyond EVs: What's REALLY Next in Transportation Tech? | Andrew Hisey on the Future of Mobility .