Episode 364 | Autonomy Markets: Tesla Robotaxi Underwritten and Unleashed

This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss Tesla officially removing safety attendants from Robotaxis in Austin, Waymo’s commercial launch in Miami, and Serve Robotics’ strategic acquisition of Diligent Robotics.

It finally happened. Tesla has removed safety attendants from a select group of vehicles in Austin. While this initial fleet is limited and operating in a specific geofence and utilizing chase cars, Grayson and Walt view this as a critical validation of the technology. 

Looking ahead, Grayson predicts the operational domain will expand significantly in Austin over the next 60 days, with the Phoenix metro region slated as the next target market for deployment. As Tesla went safety attendant-out, Waymoopened the Miami market for limited commercial service within a 60-square-mile area, with one major caveat, no Miami Beach. 

On the Foreign Autonomy Desk, Grayson and Walt discuss Geely’s plan to deploy 100,000 methanol-powered robotaxis in China and the South Korean government’s selection of Gwangju as the nation’s first dedicated autonomous vehicle testing zone.

Episode Chapters

0:00 Tesla Removes Safety Attendant in Austin

9:19 Operational Efficiency

10:33 Alex Roy Goes Coast-to-Coast with Zero FSD Interventions

14:15 Drive on FSD, Get a Discount

18:25 FSD is Expanding as Prices are Increasing

23:31 New Robotaxi Markets

24:53 Waymo Launches Miami Markets

28:33 Vandalizing Waymo's

32:20 Serve Robotics Acquires Diligent Robotics

36:41 Foreign Autonomy Desk

39:21 Next Week

Recorded on Friday, January 23, 2026

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