This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss Lyft’s dramatic return to the big leagues of the autonomous vehicle industry through a surprise partnership with Waymo in Nashville, including fleet management, sending Lyft stock soaring 20% while Uber dropped 5%.

Grayson and Walt examine the strategic implications of this non-exclusive deal, where a shared fleet will operate across both Lyft and Waymo networks, with Lyft leveraging its Flexdrive subsidiary for fleet management. This deal, marks Waymo’s second partnership with Lyft, correcting widespread media reports that overlooked a small 2019 Phoenix pilot program that quietly disappeared from public view.

The conversation expands into Waymo’s incremental progress at San Francisco Airport (SFO) which is limited to the “kiss and fly” area rather than curbside access, and what this signals for Waymo’s pending highway operations. Grayson predicts Waymo will begin operating on highways in the Bay Area by December 2025, while they debate sensor stack limitations that may be preventing current Jaguar fleets from highway deployment. 

Grayson and Walt also analyze Bot Auto‘s milestone achievement of a fully driverless 40-mile commercial run accomplished with just $45 million in funding, contrasting this efficiency against billion-dollar competitors still operating with safety drivers. The episode concludes with Tesla and Uber’s freight partnership, which Walt characterizes as a potential “Trojan horse” for Tesla’s autonomous trucking ambitions.

Episode Chapters

0:00 Lyft / Waymo Partnership

7:01 Lyft / Waymo History 

8:39 Nashville Market 

12:17 Impact on the Uber / Waymo Relationship 

15:31 Waymo’s SFO Expansion 

17:13 Waymo’s “Great Highway Expansion” 

20:39 Waymo’s Emerging Zeekr Risk in Tennessee 

23:00 Waymo’s Airport Unlocks 

25:25 Bot Auto Goes Driver-Out

29:30 Going Driver-Out without an OEM Deal

33:47 Tesla Semi / Uber Freight Partnership 

37:24 Next Week

Recorded on Thursday, September 18, 2025

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About The Road to Autonomy

The 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/ae/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Qasar Younis, CEO and Peter Ludwig, CTO, Co-Founders of Applied Intuition joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss why Applied Intuition continues to be one of the most interesting companies in autonomy.

The conversation explores Applied Intuition’s growing portfolio of partnerships, including a major deal with Komatsu and the launch of their new SDS (self-driving system for automotive). Qasar and Peter share how first-principles thinking, diversification across verticals, and a relentless focus on engineering have allowed the company to expand while continually de-risking the business.

As OEMs weigh the long-running build-versus-buy debate around autonomous driving systems, China’s automakers are rapidly advancing their capabilities with a strong emphasis on in-vehicle software. From Tesla’s software-driven model to legacy OEMs navigating the transition to software-defined vehicles, this episode of The Road to Autonomy highlights how Applied Intuition’s Vehicle OS and SDS offerings are designed to meet automakers where they are today, while positioning them for what’s next.

In a future where software increasingly defines brand and customer experience, Applied Intuition is building the infrastructure that will power both vehicles and autonomy. 

Episode Chapters

0:00 What’s Next for Applied Intuition? 

1:44 Self-Driving for Automotive (SDS)

7:15 Managing Risks

12:45 Komatsu Partnership

16:32 Breakthrough Technology 

21:38 Vehicle OS

23:48 OpenAI Partnership

25:05 L2/L2+ Demand

32:42 Licensing Autonomous Driving Systems

35:18 Maintaining SDS

42:50 Cadillac

44:09 Does Software Defines a Brand? 

46:10 Planning for Automotive Software 

49:29 What’s Next

Recorded on Friday, September 5, 2025

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About The Road to Autonomy

The 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/ae/

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 the rapidly shifting landscape of AI inside of vehicles, exploring how xAI’s Grok and Google’s Gemini are shaping the future of in-vehicle experiences.

Grayson and Walt debate whether these AI systems will remain as assistants limited to Q&A or evolve into agentic copilots capable of controlling everything from “car wash mode” to trip planning and operating the traditional in-cabin functions of a vehicle. 

They draw parallels to historical tech battles, from Apple CarPlay’s removal by GM to the politics within Alphabet that may slow Gemini’s rollout inside Waymo vehicles. The discussion underscores how the integration of AI into vehicles could become one of the most valuable battlegrounds in autonomy. 

Beyond AI integration, the conversation expands into the latest market moves across autonomy. Tesla’s upcoming expansion to Phoenix, Las Vegas, and California airports takes center stage, alongside SpaceX’s $19 billion spectrum acquisition and its implications for connectivity in robotaxis.

Episode Chapters

0:00 Qualcomm on The Road to Autonomy

2:51 Grok vs Gemini: Who Will Own the Future of AI In-Vehicle?

12:33 Tensor Auto

14:40 Tesla’s Planned Robotaxi Expansions

20:19 SpaceX / EchoStar Spectrum Deal 

23:48 Zoox Las Vegas Launch

27:17 May Mobility’s Launch in Atlanta on Lyft

31:41 Do May Mobility Cars go to Lyft or Uber First?

34:12 Waymo’s Emerging Hyundai Risk 

36:30 Kodiak Delivers First Factory Upfitted Autonomous Truck

38:35 Autonomous Trucking Industry

40:43 Next Week

Recorded on Friday, September 12, 2025

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About The Road to Autonomy

The 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/ae/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dean Foreman, Chief Economist, Texas Oil & Gas Association joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss how record-breaking global energy demand and Texas’s energy dominance are reshaping markets amid the AI revolution and shifting geopolitical dynamics. 

With the Energy Information Administration (EIA) projecting consecutive oil demand records of 103.7 million barrels per day in 2025 and 104.9 million barrels per day in 2026, Texas has emerged as the undisputed energy powerhouse, now producing 42% of US oil and 30% of US natural gas while generating $27.3 billion in state tax revenue and supporting over 1.3 million jobs.

The Permian Basin continues to demonstrate remarkable productivity gains, delivering 20% more output using 40% fewer rigs compared to 2018-2019 levels through advanced data analytics and re-fracking technologies. This efficiency revolution has enabled Texas to account for 80% of US oil growth year-to-date while natural gas demand reaches record highs of 148.7 trillion cubic feet globally. 

Despite economic headwinds including record $18.4 trillion household debt and softening labor indicators, energy markets continue to show resilience with diesel demand up 4% and jet fuel climbing 5% year-over-year, reflecting continued industrial activity and travel recovery.

Natural gas is rapidly becoming the critical infrastructure powering AI data centers and the digital economy, with hyperscalers increasingly turning to co-located natural gas generation for reliable 24/7 electricity. 

As geopolitical tensions create new energy partnerships between Russia and China through proposed pipelines capable of 5 billion cubic feet per day, and Europe relies on up to 75% of Texas LNG exports during peak periods, traditional energy resources prove foundational not just to current economic prosperity but to the future of automation, artificial intelligence, and global technological advancement.

Episode Chapters

0:00 Weakening U.S. Dollar & Interest Rates

2:21 Growing Household Debt

4:20 Emerging Markets & Supply Chains

5:27 Growing Natural Gas Demand

12:49 Growing Global Oil Demand

16:51 Potential Weakening U.S. Economy

18:33 Global Oil Supply

21:27 China

24:49 Europe

29:55 Permian Basin 

32:58 ADS Business Conditions Index

34:33 Tech’s Impact on Oil & Natural Gas Industry

36:03 Texas Oil & Natural Gas Industry’s Economic Impact 

37:52 Next Quarter

Recorded on Thursday, September 4, 2025

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About The Road to Autonomy

The 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/ae/

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 the new expansion announcements from both Waymo and Tesla, framing it as a “heavyweight fight”. 

Waymo announced plans to expand to Denver and Seattle, with Denver set to become the first city where its fleet will include both Jaguar I-PACEs and Zeekrs. The company also gained regulatory approval to operate at the San Jose (SJC) airport, a move Grayson Brulte predicted five months ago on a previous episode.

Meanwhile, Tesla opened the public waitlist for its Robotaxi app, which quickly surged up the Apple App Store charts, reaching #1 in the travel category and #8 overall among free apps.

The discussion then broadens beyond the Waymo–Tesla rivalry, touching on the political headwinds Waymo faces in Seattle, NHTSA’s recent regulatory changes designed to accelerate autonomous vehicle commercialization, and Torc’s $660 million annual burn rate as Daimler Truck explores external funding options.

Episode Chapters

0:00 Waymo-Tesla Competition 

5:48 Waymo’s Denver Expansion 

8:01 No Uber Partnership for Denver or Seattle?

10:36 Waymo’s Affection for Unwelcoming Cities, Including Seattle 

15:24 Benefits of Autonomy 

16:37 Updated NHTSA Rules

19:23 Waymo Expands to San Jose Airport, Is SFO Next?

24:22 Tesla Opens Robotaxi Waitlist 

27:43 Highway Unlocks

30:44 Avride Launching on Uber in Dallas

33:16 Tensor Auto

35:49 Daimler Truck is Seeking Outside Capital for Torc

40:18 Next Week

Recorded on Friday, September 5, 2025

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About The Road to Autonomy

The 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/ae/

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 marked the one-year anniversary of Autonomy Markets and discussed the reignited debate between LiDAR and vision-only after comments made by Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi during an interview. 

During the interview, Mr. Khosrowshahi stated that in the short term, a combination of camera, LiDAR, and radar is the “right solution,” noting that all of Uber’s current partners use this combination. This statement prompted a response from Elon Musk, who argued via a post on X that LiDAR and radar actually reduce safety due to “sensor contention” and reaffirmed Tesla’s commitment to a camera-only system. 

Beyond the technical debate, Grayson and Walt discussed Tesla’s expanded Robotaxi service in Austin and the growing opposition to a potential Waymo deployment in New York City.

Episode Chapters

0:00 One-Year Anniversary of Autonomy Markets

2:14 Dara Khosrowshahi Reignites LiDAR vs Vision-Only Debate

9:24 Elon Musk’s LiDAR Rebuttal 

11:49 What if Tesla Embraced LiDAR?

14:29 Robotaxi Expands in Austin, Once Again

18:14 Traffic Fatalities 

20:32 Waymo Begins Testing in New York City

26:06 Boring Company is Testing FSD Supervised in Las Vegas

29:07 Stellantis Shuts Down Internal ADAS Development Program

31:28 Next Week

Recorded on Thursday, August 28, 2025

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About The Road to Autonomy

The 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/ae/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Anshuman Saxena, Vice President and Head of ADAS/Autonomous Driving Products, Qualcomm joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss Qualcomm’s Snapdragon autonomy strategy.

Qualcomm’s automotive division is rapidly expanding, with revenue up 59% year-over-year to $959 million. At the center of this growth is the company’s Snapdragon Digital Chassis, a comprehensive automotive platform and the cornerstone of Qualcomm’s autonomy strategy.

As part of this approach, Qualcomm is redefining the digital cockpit by integrating AI-powered natural language interactions, advanced graphics through Adreno GPUs, and vision-based systems that enhance both safety and user experience.

Looking ahead, Qualcomm’s Snapdragon architecture is not only powering vehicles today but also laying the foundation for robotics and future intelligent systems.

Episode Chapters

0:00 Qualcomm’s Approach to Autonomy

6:10 ADAS Growth Opportunity 

10:09 Consumer Adoption of ADAS

12:10 In-Vehicle Experience 

16:37 Snapdragon Digital Chassis

17:44 Adreno GPU

24:15 Developing Technology with Partners

28:05 Robotaxi Platform

29:36 Vision Systems 

33:07 Personally Owned Autonomous Vehicles 

35:46 Reasoning 

40:54 Chip Design 

45:16 Future of Qualcomm’s Automotive Division 

Recorded on Tuesday, August 26, 2025

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About The Road to Autonomy

The 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/ae/

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 the significant operational challenges Waymo and Uber are currently experiencing in Atlanta and Nuro's Series E round.

Waymo’s launch in Atlanta has gone anything but smooth. A shortage of vehicles and frequent rider pairing issues on Uber have sparked negative local media coverage, with Fox 5 Atlanta even publishing a guide on how to improve your chances of getting a Waymo ride. 

The Atlanta launch has raised questions about the long-term future of Uber and Waymo’s partnership. While Waymo and Uber are facing vehicle supply issues in Atlanta, Nuro successfully closed a Series E round led by Uber that raised $203 million at a valuation of $6 billion.

Episode Chapters

0:00 Robots

2:42 Nuro Series E

4:54 Delivery Robots Part 1

6:11 Fleet Management 

9:24 Delivery Robots Part 2

14:26 Waymo on Uber in Atlanta 

21:15 Status of Waymo and Uber’s Relationship 

26:58 Helm.ai Honda Expand Partnership 

32:21 Alibaba’s Autonomous Driving IPO

34:16 Baidu Apollo Go

36:35 Tesla FSD in Japan

38:46 Cybercab

39:32 Next Week

Recorded on Thursday, August 21, 2025

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About The Road to Autonomy

The 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/ae/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

David Welch, Detroit Bureau Chief, Bloomberg joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss GM’s renewed interest in autonomous vehicles.

From robotaxis to personally owned autonomous vehicles, GM is once again preparing to enter the autonomous vehicle. This time in a initiative led by Chief Product Officer Sterling Anderson, GM is focusing on developing personally owned autonomous vehicles. 

Despite the shift in strategy, GM faces significant hurdles. The company must rebuild trust with the tech community to attract top talent after Cruise’s high-profile failures. At the same time, the company continues to face intense competition from Tesla, whose rapidly advancing Full Self-Driving (FSD) system raises questions about whether GM can develop a competitive system in-house or if it will need to license technology from Waymo, Wayve, or Nuro.

GM’s return to autonomy opens the door to many questions. Questions that will only be answered in the years ahead.

Episode Chapters

0:00 GM Once Again Enters the Autonomy Market

4:07 Can Sterling Anderson Revive GM’s Autonomy Ambitions? 

6:36 GM’s “New” Autonomy System

9:16 Super Cruise Subscription Revenue 

10:37 Tesla

13:48 Does GM Have to License?

14:49 Rebuilding Trust

18:26 Would GM ever do a Waymo Deal?

20:04 Licensing + Data

23:51 Timeline

26:43 Pricing Autonomy

32:41 Ford

34:22 Where Does GM Ultimately Go?

Recorded on Monday, August 10, 2025

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About The Road to Autonomy

The 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/ae/

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 GM’s sudden return to autonomous vehicles, Waymo’s growing supply constraints, and the launch of Tensor Auto.

A few months after shutting down Cruise, GM is once again re-entering the autonomous vehicle market, but this time with a twist. This time around the company will be focusing on developing personally-owned autonomous vehicles instead of robotaxis. 

This is GM’s third attempt at autonomy, raising questions about whether the company can regain the trust of engineers and the broader industry after repeatedly abandoning past efforts. While GM prepares for another autonomy reboot, Waymo continues to grapple with supply constraints. And then there is a new entrant to the autonomy markets, Tensor Auto (formerly Auto X) which is planning to launch a personally owned autonomous vehicle featuring 37 cameras, manufactured by VinFast. 

In corporate moves, Uber Freight CEO Lior Ron has left the company to become COO of Waabi in a surprising move that has drawn significant industry attention.

Episode Chapters

0:00 GM’s Revised Autonomy Plans

11:31 Ford’s Continued Autonomy Disdain

14:37 Where is Toyota?

16:06 Waymo’s Supply Constraints 

20:37 Waymo in Atlanta 

24:27 Is Waymo Expanding too Fast?

25:25 Tesla FSD

29:43 Robotaxi’s Upcoming Public Launch 

33:19 Tesla Eyes NYC Robotaxi Expansion 

35:02 Tensor Auto

43:20 Uber Freight / Waabi 

52:47 Next Week

Recorded on Friday, August 15, 2025

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About The Road to Autonomy

The 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/ae/

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.