Autonomy Markets

Forget the Waymo/Uber News, Focus on the Nuro and WeRide Partnerships

This week on Autonomy Markets [/autonomy-markets/], Grayson Brulte [/grayson-brulte/] and Walter Piecyk discuss Waymo's newly announced expansion ahead of the World Cup, the suddenly accelerating deterioration of the Uber/Waymo relationship, and the partnerships that actually matter for Uber's autonomous future. As Waymo expanded their U.S. service area by 1,400 square miles across 11 cities, Uber continued to amplify both their direct and indirect attacks against Waymo in the media and in a self-published report about deploying autonomous vehicles. Even as the deterioration of the relationship spreads into the news, Walt notes that the divorce narrative is already largely priced into Uber's stock, but the more interesting question is what happens next with Uber's remaining partners. Nuro [/autonomy-leaderboard/#company-nuro] recently opened an engineering and partnerships office in Munich, home to BMW, with Lucid notably absent from the press release and personally-owned autonomous vehicles mentioned directly. On the WeRide earnings call, the company outlined European expansion plans including Slovakia and made the case for a unified Level 2 to Level 4 platform. Wrapping up the conversation, Grayson and Walt discussed Volvo Autonomous Solutions' new Dallas-to-Houston lane and what the true definition of autonomous and what defines supervised. Episode Chapters 00:00 Waymo's World Cup Expansion 03:59 Waymo's Unforced Error 05:08 The Waymo/Uber Divorce Narrative Goes Mainstream 14:51 Nuro Opens Munich Office 20:26 WeRide Eyes a Unified L2-to-L4 Platform 22:47 Volvo Autonomous Solutions Dallas-to-Houston Lane 23:49 What Defines Driverless 31:39 Foreign Autonomy Desk 32:04 Next Week The Road to Autonomy is the leading applied intelligence platform covering the convergence of automation, autonomy, and the Autonomy Economy™ powered AUTNMY AI. Through our podcasts, newsletter, and proprietary applied intelligence, we set the narrative for institutional investors, industry executives, and policymakers navigating the convergence of automation, autonomy, and economic growth. Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/ae/ [https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/ae/] LightShed Partners is a leading independent research firm focused on the convergence of technology, media, and telecommunications. Known for its forward-thinking insights, LightShed Partners provides in-depth analysis on trends, disruptions, and innovations shaping these industries, offering clients data-driven research to inform investment decisions. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up for research here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The LightShed Podcast, released every Friday, delivers cutting-edge insights into the world of technology, media, and telecommunications (TMT), focusing on key trends and disruptions shaping the future of these industries. Each episode explores topics like streaming services, social media, digital transformation, and the future of entertainment technology. Closely followed by key decision-makers in the TMT industries, this podcast provides actionable analysis for investors, industry professionals, and tech enthusiasts. Subscribe to the LightShed Podcast for expert commentary on market trends, investment opportunities, and insights driving the TMT sector forward. For access to this paywalled podcast email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠team@lightshedtmt.com⁠⁠

Vegas Field Report and Autonomous Trucking Earnings

This week on Autonomy Markets [/autonomy-markets/], Grayson Brulte [/grayson-brulte/] and Walter Piecyk discuss Grayson's Las Vegas field work riding in Zoox [/autonomy-leaderboard/#company-zoox] and Motional robotaxis, Uber's [/autonomy-leaderboard/#company-uber] earnings and the path to driver-out, and autonomous trucking earnings. The first thing Grayson did when he landed in Vegas was try to order a Zoox, but the service was not available until 11 AM and when it finally came online shortly after 11 AM, the wait time for the vehicle to arrive was 67 minutes. So he opened the Uber app and tried to order a Motional robotaxi, where he was paired with a Motional in under five minutes. During the one hour and seven minute Zoox wait time, he was able to ride down and back in two different Motional vehicles between Resorts World and the Luxor, arriving back with 21 minutes to spare. While he was in town, Grayson conducted field work [https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/field-reports/] at the Zoox depot where he counted more Toyota Highlander test vehicles than purpose-built Zoox robotaxis coming out of the depot. He also visited with the Nuro [/autonomy-leaderboard/#company-nuro] team at their test track at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. While Grayson was busy conducting field work, Tesla [/autonomy-leaderboard/#company-tesla] crossed 10 billion FSD Supervised miles, while Uber's autonomy overhang continues as the benchmark for deploying robotaxis is driver-out, not with safety attendants. Wrapping up the conversation, Grayson and Walt discussed the latest earnings from Aurora [/autonomy-leaderboard/#company-aurora] and Kodiak [/autonomy-leaderboard/#company-kodiak] and what Grayson learned at the ACT Expo in Las Vegas. Episode Chapters 00:00 Field Work: Motional, Zoox and Las Vegas 20:57 Uber's Autonomy Overhang 23:50 Discounting Uber's Partnership with Waymo 26:44 Nuro and Lucid Prepare to Scale 32:52 Autonomous Trucking's Presence at the ACT Expo 34:41 Aurora, Kodiak Updates from Earnings 37:13 Politics and Autonomous Trucking in California 39:01 The No Safety Attendant Bar for Autonomous Trucking 44:10 Next Week The Road to Autonomy is the leading applied intelligence platform covering the convergence of automation, autonomy, and the Autonomy Economy™ powered AUTNMY AI. Through our podcasts, newsletter, and proprietary applied intelligence, we set the narrative for institutional investors, industry executives, and policymakers navigating the convergence of automation, autonomy, and economic growth. Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/ae/ LightShed Partners is a leading independent research firm focused on the convergence of technology, media, and telecommunications. Known for its forward-thinking insights, LightShed Partners provides in-depth analysis on trends, disruptions, and innovations shaping these industries, offering clients data-driven research to inform investment decisions. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up for research here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The LightShed Podcast, released every Friday, delivers cutting-edge insights into the world of technology, media, and telecommunications (TMT), focusing on key trends and disruptions shaping the future of these industries. Each episode explores topics like streaming services, social media, digital transformation, and the future of entertainment technology. Closely followed by key decision-makers in the TMT industries, this podcast provides actionable analysis for investors, industry professionals, and tech enthusiasts. Subscribe to the LightShed Podcast for expert commentary on market trends, investment opportunities, and insights driving the TMT sector forward. For access to this paywalled podcast email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠team@lightshedtmt.com⁠⁠

Big Week for U.S. Autonomous Trucks, While China Shuts Down Autonomy

This week on Autonomy Markets [https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-markets/], Grayson Brulte [https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/grayson-brulte/] and Walter Piecyk discuss Bot Auto’s fully autonomous commercial run from Houston to Dallas, Aurora’s expanded partnership with Hirschbach, and Uber’s CTO publicly criticizing Waymo [https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-leaderboard/#company-waymo] on X over safety. With Bot Auto [https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-leaderboard/#company-bot-auto] completing a 231 mile commercial paid run with no human in the cab, no safety driver, and no observer, the conversation evolves into a deeper discussion around the imminent Waymo robotaxi moment for autonomous trucking, with Kodiak [https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-leaderboard/#company-kodiak] operating fully autonomous in the Permian Basin and Aurora [https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-leaderboard/#company-aurora] announcing a non-binding 500 truck MOU with Hirschbach representing roughly 15 percent of the carrier’s fleet. While in Houston, Grayson conducted field work [https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/field-reports/] riding in a Tesla [https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-leaderboard/#company-tesla] Unsupervised Robotaxi in the Cypress neighborhood, where he counted 24 robotaxis staged for launch at the Tesla service center, while observing that both the Tesla and Waymo vehicles drove aggressively in a similar manner to Houstonians. More signs emerged this week of the deteriorating relationship between Waymo and Uber as the CTO of Uber made a post on X accusing a Waymo [https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-leaderboard/#company-waymo] of an aggressive maneuver against a Muni bus in San Francisco, a rare public criticism from a partner in a public forum, reinforcing the deteriorating relationship that appears to be on the verge of a divorce. On the Foreign Autonomy Desk, Grayson and Walt discuss China suspending new autonomous vehicle permits following the Baidu Apollo Go incident in Wuhan where 200 robotaxis simultaneously froze on March 31st, and WeRide’s partnership with Lenovo [https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/weride-lenovo-pronto-bot-auto/] to deploy 200,000 robotaxis over the next five years against a current fleet of 1,125 vehicles. Episode Chapters 00:00 Field Work: Bot Auto Launches Fully Autonomous Commercial Service 05:42 Aurora's Expanded Partnership with Hirschbach 08:53 Congressman Ro Khanna's Anti-Autonomy Stance 11:18 Uber and Hertz Partner for Robotaxi Fleet Servicing 18:40 Avomo, Moove, and Uber's Fragmented Autonomy Strategy 20:07 Uber CTO Publicly Criticizes Waymo on X 24:13 Waymo's Next City: Cincinnati or Kansas City? 27:30 Tesla Unsupervised Robotaxi in Houston 34:37 China Suspends New Autonomous Vehicle Permits 39:14 WeRide and Lenovo to Deploy 200,000 Robotaxis 40:54 Next Week The Road to Autonomy is the leading applied intelligence platform covering the convergence of automation, autonomy, and the Autonomy Economy™ powered AUTNMY AI. Through our podcasts, newsletter, and proprietary applied intelligence, we set the narrative for institutional investors, industry executives, and policymakers navigating the convergence of automation, autonomy, and economic growth. Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/ae/ LightShed Partners is a leading independent research firm focused on the convergence of technology, media, and telecommunications. Known for its forward-thinking insights, LightShed Partners provides in-depth analysis on trends, disruptions, and innovations shaping these industries, offering clients data-driven research to inform investment decisions. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up for research here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The LightShed Podcast, released every Friday, delivers cutting-edge insights into the world of technology, media, and telecommunications (TMT), focusing on key trends and disruptions shaping the future of these industries. Each episode explores topics like streaming services, social media, digital transformation, and the future of entertainment technology. Closely followed by key decision-makers in the TMT industries, this podcast provides actionable analysis for investors, industry professionals, and tech enthusiasts. Subscribe to the LightShed Podcast for expert commentary on market trends, investment opportunities, and insights driving the TMT sector forward. For access to this paywalled podcast email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠team@lightshedtmt.com⁠⁠

Tesla's Dedicated Superchargers Signal the Real Strategy as Robotaxi Scale Delayed

This week on Autonomy Markets [https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-markets/], Grayson Brulte [https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/grayson-brulte/] and Walter Piecyk discuss Tesla’s dedicated Supercharger build-out for Robotaxi [https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/waymo-solved-robotaxi-supply/] in Arizona, Kodiak’s autonomous trucking operations in the Permian Basin, and Mobileye’s defensive posture on their Q1 earnings call. With Tesla launching unsupervised robotaxis in Dallas and Houston this week, the conversation evolves into a deeper discussion around newly filed permits for 56 dedicated, non-public V4 Superchargers in Chandler, Arizona, and a second private charging depot in Mesa, signaling Tesla is building dedicated Robotaxi infrastructure as the original 12-market scale plan slips into Q3. Out in the Permian Basin, Grayson conducted field work [https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/field-reports/] with Kodiak and Atlas Energy Solutions, inspected the depot, and watched fully autonomous trucks operate off-road in the middle of the oil fields, picking up sand at the end of the 40-mile Dune Express sand conveyor. During Mobileye’s Q1 2026 earnings call, when asked about their autonomous driving partnerships, the tone turned defensive on Volkswagen’s longer-term commitment and the emerging competitive threat of NVIDIA’s growing ambitions. On the Foreign Autonomy Desk, Grayson and Walt discuss Huawei’s $11.7 billion continued commitment to autonomous driving on the mainland and Pony.ai’s plan to operate more than 3,000 robotaxis across 20 cities globally by the end of 2026, with over half deployed outside mainland China. Episode Chapters 00:00 Permian Basin Field Work: Kodiak & Atlas Energy Solutions 08:51 Tesla Launches Unsupervised Robotaxi in Dallas and Houston 13:16 Tesla's Dedicated Robotaxi Superchargers in Arizona 15:38 AUTNMY AI 16:45 Avride's 200 Vehicles 19:19 A Tale of Two SPACs, PlusAI & Einride 20:45 Zoox Expands Testing to Miami and Las Vegas Airport 23:55 Mobileye Goes on Autonomy Defense 32:22 Foreign Autonomy Desk 34:24 Next Week The Road to Autonomy is the leading applied intelligence platform covering the convergence of automation, autonomy, and the Autonomy Economy™ powered AUTNMY AI. Through our podcasts, newsletter, and proprietary applied intelligence, we set the narrative for institutional investors, industry executives, and policymakers navigating the convergence of automation, autonomy, and economic growth. Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/ae/ LightShed Partners is a leading independent research firm focused on the convergence of technology, media, and telecommunications. Known for its forward-thinking insights, LightShed Partners provides in-depth analysis on trends, disruptions, and innovations shaping these industries, offering clients data-driven research to inform investment decisions. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up for research here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The LightShed Podcast, released every Friday, delivers cutting-edge insights into the world of technology, media, and telecommunications (TMT), focusing on key trends and disruptions shaping the future of these industries. Each episode explores topics like streaming services, social media, digital transformation, and the future of entertainment technology. Closely followed by key decision-makers in the TMT industries, this podcast provides actionable analysis for investors, industry professionals, and tech enthusiasts. Subscribe to the LightShed Podcast for expert commentary on market trends, investment opportunities, and insights driving the TMT sector forward. For access to this paywalled podcast email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠team@lightshedtmt.com⁠⁠

Waymo Opens Orlando Service, But Who Will Take Mickey Mouse to the Parks?

This week on Autonomy Markets [https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-markets/], Grayson Brulte [https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/grayson-brulte/] and Walter Piecyk discuss Waymo’s expansion in Florida, Uber’s continued investments in physical assets, and the potential for agentic AI to disrupt traditional rideshare apps. With Waymo [https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-leaderboard/#company-waymo] opening service to the general public in Miami and Orlando this week, the conversation evolves into a deeper discussion around Disney’s strategic alliances and which company, Waymo or Glydways, will eventually secure a contract to operate at Walt Disney World. Across the pond, Waymo began autonomous driving in London as Uber [https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/autonomy-leaderboard/#company-uber] continues to pour capital into physical assets while doubling down on their Lucid investment with another $200 million. Uber’s physical asset strategy sparked a debate of whether or not Uber can truly remain asset-light and what impact agentic AI bots will have on their business. On the Foreign Autonomy Desk, Grayson and Walt discuss Japan’s autonomous vehicle investment goals, Tesla’s Netherlands FSD approval, and WeRide’s expansion into L2 ADAS. Episode Chapters 00:00 Waymo Opens Miami & Orlando Markets, but No Disney World Yet 01:36 The Mickey Mouse Tax: Who Gets the Disney Contract? 07:54 Waymo Begins Autonomous Driving in London 08:53 Wayve Raises $60M from Chipmakers 12:32 Uber Doubles Down on Lucid 22:27 Lyft's Flexdrive Nashville Depot for Waymo 27:18 Will Agentic AI Make Rideshare Apps Obsolete? 28:00 Maryland Lawmakers Fail to Vote, State Does Not Get Autonomous Vehicles 32:53 Foreign Autonomy Desk 35:00 Next Week The Road to Autonomy is the leading applied intelligence platform covering the convergence of automation, autonomy, and the Autonomy Economy™ powered AUTNMY AI. Through our podcasts, newsletter, and proprietary applied intelligence, we set the narrative for institutional investors, industry executives, and policymakers navigating the convergence of automation, autonomy, and economic growth. Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/ae/ LightShed Partners is a leading independent research firm focused on the convergence of technology, media, and telecommunications. Known for its forward-thinking insights, LightShed Partners provides in-depth analysis on trends, disruptions, and innovations shaping these industries, offering clients data-driven research to inform investment decisions. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up for research here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The LightShed Podcast, released every Friday, delivers cutting-edge insights into the world of technology, media, and telecommunications (TMT), focusing on key trends and disruptions shaping the future of these industries. Each episode explores topics like streaming services, social media, digital transformation, and the future of entertainment technology. Closely followed by key decision-makers in the TMT industries, this podcast provides actionable analysis for investors, industry professionals, and tech enthusiasts. Subscribe to the LightShed Podcast for expert commentary on market trends, investment opportunities, and insights driving the TMT sector forward. For access to this paywalled podcast email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠team@lightshedtmt.com⁠⁠