Episode 366 | Autonomy Markets: Waymo's LiDAR Controversy, Tesla’s Mega Merger, and Waabi’s Pivot to Robotaxis

This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss Waymo’s LiDAR controversy following an incident in a Santa Monica school zone, the potential of a mega merger between Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI, and Waabi’s $750 million capital raise to pivot into robotaxis.

The conversation heats up as Walt and Grayson debate the efficacy of LiDAR versus camera-only approaches, questioning if sensor fusion latency contributed to the Waymo incident where a child ran out from behind a vehicle.

While Waymo handles the incident in Santa Monica, Tesla is further accelerating their shift to an autonomy/robotics company by shutting down Model S and Model X lines for Optimus Gen 3 humanoids.

Looking at the broader market, Grayson and Walt analyze Waabi’s strategic expansion from trucking into robotaxis, with Walt drawing parallels to early industry pivots and Grayson questioning the viability of managing two distinct autonomy programs.

On the Foreign Autonomy Desk, they highlight Waymo’s recent launch party in London, noting the imported vehicles still feature American driving configurations, and discuss Pony.ai’s partnership to deploy 3,000 robotaxis in mainland China.

Episode Chapters

0:00 Waymo Opens SFO Airport Access

5:45 Waymo’s Santa Monica Incident

16:27 Tesla Earnings and New Robotaxi Markets

22:04 David Moss’ Austin Robotaxi Adventures

24:12 Robotaxi’s Enhanced Camera Cleaning System

26:38 Inspector Uncovers, Walt Warns

27:43 The Potential Great Elon Merger

30:35 Waabi Raises $750m, Pivots to Robotaxis

39:27 Does Uber Reboot ATG?

42:55 Plus AI Analyst Day

50:01 Foreign Autonomy Desk

53:18 Next Week

Recorded on Friday, January 30, 2026

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