Episode 297 | Autonomy Markets: What’s Going On at Aurora? Why Waymo Needs More Cars, and Has Waymo Cooled on Lyft?

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 Chapters

0:00 On The Road

2:03 Sterling Anderson Resigns from Aurora

7:55 Autonomous Trucking Revenue Metrics of Success

9:39 Waymo’s New Factory

12:38 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 & Lyft

25:48 Is Uber Accelerating the Growth of Chineses AVs in Europe?

30:13 What’s Going on at Zoox?

34:25 Rivian’s Autonomy Ambitions

37:42 Next Week

Recorded on Friday, May 9, 2025

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