The Road to Autonomy

Grayson Brulte
  • 4.8 (30)
  • TECHNOLOGY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY
The Road to Autonomy

How would you feel if the transport truck beside you on the highway had no driver? Or the car passing beside you had no driver? Would it make a difference if the widespread deployment of autonomous trucks could ease supply chain problems almost overnight and that autonomous vehicles do not get distracted or speed? And would you feel better if you knew autonomous trucks and vehicles could reduce carbon emissions by 30 percent or more. Learn more from world's leading mobility experts on The Road to Autonomy®, an ahead-of-the-curve podcast hosted by Grayson Brulte.

  1. Is the Future of Autonomy Licensing and Contract Manufacturing?

    3D AGO

    Is the Future of Autonomy Licensing and Contract Manufacturing?

    David Welch, Detroit Bureau Chief, Bloomberg joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss the future of autonomy. Is Waymo preparing to pivot away from owning and operating robotaxi fleets towards licensing the Waymo Driver to companies such as Toyota, and perhaps even Ford and GM? If Waymo were to fully pivot to a licensing model, it could establish a new model in which legacy OEMs become contract manufacturers for autonomous driving developers.  With legacy OEMs acting as contract manufacturers, a new ecosystem would emerge in which OEMs build the vehicles, finance companies carry them on their balance sheets, service providers manage operations, and autonomous driving developers supply the autonomous driving systems under licensing agreements. Meanwhile, Foxconn has ambitions to become the contract manufacturer of choice for robotaxi developers. If Foxconn were to enter the sector at scale, who would become the fleet operator? Who would finance the vehicles and own them on their balance sheet? Today, there are still more questions than answers when it comes to the future of autonomy. Yet despite this current uncertainty, the outlines of the industry’s next era are beginning to take shape. Episode Chapters 0:00 Ford’s LiDAR Demands 4:16 Financing Autonomous Driving Platforms  5:44 Would GM Sell The Origin Platform to Cruise? 13:24 GM & Politics  15:38 Foxconn 21:34 Licensing Autonomous Driving Systems  23:15 Fully-Electric Pick-up Trucks 30:21 Tesla 32:35 Breaking out Robotaxi Revenue  36:11 Waymo 41:41 May Mobility on Lyft 43:16 Toyota 44:53 Waymo OEM Partnerships  46:02 What To Look For in the Markets Recorded on Monday, July 7, 2025 -------- 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.

    49 min
  2. Autonomy Markets: We Rode in Tesla’s Robotaxi, Here’s Our Experience

    6D AGO

    Autonomy Markets: We Rode in Tesla’s Robotaxi, Here’s Our Experience

    This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk headed to Austin, Texas to experience Robotaxi firsthand. After spending the week in Austin and experiencing Robotaxi firsthand, we came away truly impressed. Tesla did it, they cracked full self-driving with a vision-only system. From our very first ride we noticed how the autonomous driving system was confident, yet not risky. It performed at a high-level and even out performed Waymo in several instances when we tested both autonomous driving systems side by side in a variety of real-world scenarios. Over dozens of fully autonomous rides, Robotaxi navigated city streets, handled tricky parking situations, and adapted seamlessly without a single intervention. The experience exceeded our expectations, and further validated that Tesla’s vision-only approach is not just a technical milestone, but it is the future of autonomy. Episode Chapters 0:00 Robotaxi Special Edition 1:29 First Robotaxi Ride and Our Impressions 7:47 Robotaxi Learnings 11:33 Expanding Austin ODD 14:46 Robotaxi, Waymo on Uber 20:44 Grocery Stores 25:24 Austin, Safety Attendants, & Maintenance 29:53 Blending In Recorded the Week of July 7, 2025 -------- 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.

    36 min
  3. From the Permian Basin to AI: How Oil and Natural Gas Fuel the Future

    JUL 8

    From the Permian Basin to AI: How Oil and Natural Gas Fuel the Future

    Dean Foreman, Chief Economist, Texas Oil & Gas Association joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss how the powerful intersection of traditional energy and emerging technology are fueling the growth of AI data centers.  The Permian Basin with its layered geology and massive reserves continues to attract investment as this prolific oil and natural gas region remains essential to U.S. energy independence. Despite geopolitical uncertainties and high interest rates in the United States, oil markets have proven remarkably resilient. Natural gas is quickly becoming the engine fueling the growth of AI data centers and the digital economy. From pipelines and LNG exports to the economics of co-located power generation, oil and gas aren’t just legacy fuels, they’re foundational to the future of automation, AI, and global prosperity. Episode Chapters 0:00 Current Events Impact on Oil Markets 2:59 Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) 4:02 Permian Basin  6:33 Global Oil Demand 11:58 Natural Gas Markets  16:16 AI Data Centers 22:42 Natural Gas Production and Consumption  27:10 Pipelines 28:23 Geology of the Permian Basin 30:25 Quarterly Outlook Recorded on Tuesday, July 1, 2025 -------- 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.

    32 min
  4. Autonomy Markets: Waymo's Moove Away from Fleet Ownership, Ford Makes Wayve's on LiDAR

    JUL 5

    Autonomy Markets: Waymo's Moove Away from Fleet Ownership, Ford Makes Wayve's on LiDAR

    This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss Waymo’s gradual move away from owning and operate a fleet of robotaxis, Moove’s growing fleet ownership ambitions and Ford’s LiDAR demands.  Moove, a company backed by Uber, is in the process of raising $1.2 billion in debt to purchase Waymo vehicles. Is this yet another signal that Waymo is preparing to shift away from operating a capital-intensive robotaxi business and instead focusing on licensing the Waymo Driver? If this is indeed a signal, what impact will this have on the rideshare industry? As Waymo business appears to be evolving, Ford CEO Jim Farley has publicly declared that any autonomous driving system Ford licenses must use LiDAR. Is this bravado aimed at Tesla, or a genuine strategy? Closing out the episode, Grayson and Walt discuss the failure of the AI preemption clause in the Big Beautiful Bill. Episode Chapters 0:00 Moove's $1.2 Billion Dollar Debt Raise 4:30 Rideshare Usage in 20 Years 12:55 Breaking Down AVOMO and Moove 16:45 Uber's Growing Autonomous Vehicle Fleet Asset Ambitions  20:38 Ford's LiDAR Demands 22:32 Is Ford Talking to Waymo Again? 24:50 Wayve Drive in The Big Apple 27:56 Big Beautiful Bill 30:29 Next Week Recorded on Thursday, July 3, 2025 -------- 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.

    32 min
  5. The Most Interesting Company in Autonomy

    JUL 1

    The Most Interesting Company in Autonomy

    Qasar Younis, CEO and Peter Ludwig, CTO, Co-Founders of Applied Intuition joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss Applied Intuition’s evolution from a tooling platform to a multi-domain vehicle intelligence powerhouse. As Applied Intuition continues to grow, they remain focused on staying paranoid, avoiding arrogance, and learning from companies such as Microsoft to navigate technological shifts. Whether it’s building autonomous trucking stacks, enabling collaborative autonomy, or creating seamless digital passports for drivers and passengers, Applied Intuition is positioning itself to become the de facto platform for vehicle intelligence. Episode Chapters 0:00 What's Next for Applied Intuition? 9:16 Autonomous Trucking 11:46 Autonomy for Defense 15:37 OpenAI Partnership 21:59 Applied Passport 25:10 Microsoft of Autonomy 30:04 Vehicle Intelligence 42:33 Over-the-Air Software Updates 45:34 Meta V-JEPA 2 49:29 Licensing 54:44 Hiring Recorded on Friday, June 20, 2025 -------- 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/autonomy-economy/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    55 min
  6. Autonomy Markets: Tesla Robotaxi Launch, OpenAI & Foxconn, Waymo’s Future

    JUN 28

    Autonomy Markets: Tesla Robotaxi Launch, OpenAI & Foxconn, Waymo’s Future

    This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss Tesla’s robotaxi launch in Austin, OpenAI’s growing autonomous driving ambitions, Waymo’s future and Foxconn’s strategic partnership with Elektrobit. The launch of Tesla’s robotaxi has sparked polarized reactions with some hailing it as revolutionary, while others have focused on the safety attendant and the limited ODD (Operational Design Domain). During the episode, Grayson and Walt discussed how this measured rollout contrasts with the overhyped expectations, while also emphasizing that no company, including Waymo has scaled robotaxis without any operational issues.  Beyond Tesla, the hosts explored how Foxconn’s new partnership with Continental’s Elektrobit could position it as a contract manufacturer for next-generation autonomous fleets, potentially opening doors for tech giants with autonomous driving ambitions, OpenAI, Nvidia, and Meta to enter the sector. While Waymo is the clear leader in the development and commercialization of robotaxis today, their long-term business ambitions remain shrouded in mystery. Episode Chapters 0:00 Tesla Robotaxi Launch 6:19 Robotaxi and Waymo Cost Structure Comparsion 10:59 Tele-Operations 13:28 The Growth of Robotaxi 15:15 NHTSA 19:00 What’s Next for Robotaxi? 24:36 Uber & Waymo Open Atlanta Market 25:49 Waymo at Airports 26:33 Waymo Needs Policy Help 29:25 Will Waymo and Lyft Be Friends Again? 30:24 Does Waymo Want to Be in the Robotaxi Business? 33:49 Is Travis Kalanick Buying Pony AI’s U.S. Operations with Uber’s Backing? 36:30 Foxconn / Elektrobit Partnership 43:17 Will Waymo Via Ever Come Back? 44:03 Autonomous Delivery Bots 47:44 VW ID. Buzz AD 50:46 Next Week Recorded on Thursday, June 26, 2025 -------- 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/autonomy-economy/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    51 min
  7. Scaling the Last Mile: Coco Robotics, OpenAI, and the Future of Autonomous Delivery

    JUN 24

    Scaling the Last Mile: Coco Robotics, OpenAI, and the Future of Autonomous Delivery

    Zach Rash, Co-Founder & CEO, Coco Robotics joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discuss the growing autonomous delivery market and how Coco is scaling operations to meet demand.  Coco Robotics has built and deployed thousands of cost-efficient, urban-optimized delivery robots designed for high-throughput in dense cities like Los Angeles, Miami, Chicago, and Helsinki. From rising consumer demand and tipping fatigue to tightening labor regulations, market conditions are accelerating the need for scalable, autonomous delivery solutions.  As the conversation evolves, Zach shares insights into Coco Robotics hybrid autonomy approach, the economics of remote supervision, and the company’s growing partnership with OpenAI to build next-gen driving models. Episode Chapters 0:00 Current State of Robotic Delivery Market 04:29 Advertising  09:04 Form Factors 11:28 Delivery Logistics  14:01 Weather Extremes 16:32 Packaging  21:17 Merchant Partners  24:01 Robot Operations  31:22 OpenAI Partnership  35:26 End-to-End Model 38:27 Manufactoring Robots  41:12 Deploying Delivery Robots into Markets  47:41 Future of Coco Robotics  Recorded on Monday, June 9, 2025 -------- 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/autonomy-economy/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    50 min
  8. Autonomy Markets: Waymo’s Big NYC Announcement, Rider Survey Hints at Strategy, Can Texas Block Tesla? Is Meta Entering Autonomy?

    JUN 21

    Autonomy Markets: Waymo’s Big NYC Announcement, Rider Survey Hints at Strategy, Can Texas Block Tesla? Is Meta Entering Autonomy?

    This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss Waymo’s return to the Big Apple, a revealing new Waymo rider survey, political grandstanding in Texas aimed at delaying Tesla’s robotaxi launch, and the emergence of potential new players in autonomous driving sector, Meta and OpenAI. Waymo announced plans to resume testing in New York City this summer, the first time operating in the city since 2021. While the move signals growing confidence in their technology, regulatory hurdles remain, as current New York state law prohibits fully driverless operations until at least 2026 when a new law could come into effect. While Waymo is actively focusing on scaling operations and expanding into New York, a recent rider survey offers rare insight into the company’s future ambitions. Questions about luxury positioning, loyalty rewards, ride reservations, and premium services suggesting that Waymo is exploring a strategy that moves beyond their tenuous limited partnership Uber, and towards a fully integrated premium mobility platform. Meanwhile, a group of Democratic lawmakers in Texas sent a letter to Tesla urging the company to delay its planned driver-out robotaxi launch until new State autonomous vehicles laws take effect in September. Based on social media reports, Tesla is not waiting and they will be launching Robotaxi in the coming days. Then there is the growing ambitions of both Meta and OpenAI. Will they be the next companies to potentially enter the autonomous driving sector? Episode Chapters 0:00 Waymo Eyes NYC Expansion 3:05 Waymo Loves New York as They Leave Uber Behind 4:15 Waymo’s Regulatory Path Forward in New York 7:47 Waymo’s LA & Bay Area Expansions 9:06 Waymo Fleet Size 10:54 What is Behind Waymo’s Lack of Highway Service? 13:03 Is Waymo Getting Closer to Unlocking SFO? 14:23 Waymo Rider Survey 34:35 Texas State Representatives Tesla Letter 38:53 Zoox 40:13 Kodiak/Roush Partnership 44:11 Does Meta and OpenAI Have Autonomous Driving Ambitions? 48:51 Applied Intuition 50:39 Next Week Recorded on Thursday, June 19, 2025 -------- 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/autonomy-economy/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

    51 min
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Hosts & Guests

4.8
out of 5
30 Ratings

About

How would you feel if the transport truck beside you on the highway had no driver? Or the car passing beside you had no driver? Would it make a difference if the widespread deployment of autonomous trucks could ease supply chain problems almost overnight and that autonomous vehicles do not get distracted or speed? And would you feel better if you knew autonomous trucks and vehicles could reduce carbon emissions by 30 percent or more. Learn more from world's leading mobility experts on The Road to Autonomy®, an ahead-of-the-curve podcast hosted by Grayson Brulte.

Information

  • Creator
    Grayson Brulte
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2025
  • Episodes
    316
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2024 The Road to Autonomy LLC | All Rights Reserved
  • Show Website
    The Road to Autonomy

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