Episode 289 | Autonomy Markets: Wayve Wins, Nuro Reloads, Austin Doesn’t Guarantee Uber-Waymo’s Next Chapter

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 Chapters

0:00 Wayve Partners with Nissan 

3:12 Autonomous Driving OEM Partnerships 

5:24 Nuro Series E

7:12 Autonomous Driving Partnerships Ecosystem 

13:01 Could Tesla xAI Swap Assets?

17:19 Zoox Expands Testing to LA

18:27 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 Week

38:52 Next Week

Recorded on Friday, April 11, 2025

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