Waymo plans to launch a robotaxi service in Austin — putting the company once again in direct competition with rival Cruise. Austin will be the company’s fourth commercial market following Phoenix, San Francisco and Los Angeles. The company will kick off the initial phase of its operations in the city this fall; the ride-hailing service… Continue reading Waymo is bringing its robotaxi service to Austin
Author: Tech Crunch Online News
Xpeng’s head of autonomous driving quits, rumored to join Nvidia
Xpeng, a prominent Chinese electric vehicle maker and a competitor to Tesla, has announced the resignation of its vice president of autonomous driving, Xinzhou Wu, over personal and family reasons. Wu, formerly a senior director of engineering at Qualcomm where he spent over a decade, was effectively the head of Xpeng’s autonomous driving business and… Continue reading Xpeng’s head of autonomous driving quits, rumored to join Nvidia
Uber reports first quarterly operating profit in Q2 2023 results
Uber has reported an operating profit during a fiscal quarter for the first time in its history. The company reported its second-quarter earnings for 2023 [PDF] on Tuesday morning, which included a net income of $394 million for the quarter, up $1.0 billion year-over-year and $588 million versus the preceding quarter. The company attributed its… Continue reading Uber reports first quarterly operating profit in Q2 2023 results
It’s always earnings season if you look hard enough
Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts. Hello and welcome back to Equity, a podcast about the business of startups, where we unpack the numbers and nuance behind the headlines. This is our Friday show, and we’re talking about the week’s biggest startup and tech news, with a little bit of fun sprinkled in. We had… Continue reading It’s always earnings season if you look hard enough
Waymo puts the brakes on self-driving trucks program
Waymo is tapping the brakes on self-driving trucks and shifting most of its capital, resources and talent to one commercial bet: ride-hailing. The move, which was announced Wednesday in a company blog post, comes six years after Waymo first tested its autonomous vehicle system in Class 8 trucks. The company emphasized the decision was driven… Continue reading Waymo puts the brakes on self-driving trucks program
Cruise starts initial robotaxi testing in Miami
Cruise, the self-driving arm of General Motors, has begun initial testing and data collection in Miami, the company said in a tweet Wednesday. “Phase 1 is to familiarize our fleet with additional, diverse road conditions while collecting data,” the company said. Cruise declined to provide any further information, like what Phase 2 entails and when… Continue reading Cruise starts initial robotaxi testing in Miami
Former NHTSA head blasts Cruise’s ‘Humans are terrible drivers’ ad
A former administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has responded to a full-page ad taken out in several major newspapers by Cruise, General Motors’ self-driving subsidiary, that calls humans terrible drivers. The ad points to the nearly 43,000 crash fatalities in 2022 and promotes autonomous vehicles as the solution. “Using the pain… Continue reading Former NHTSA head blasts Cruise’s ‘Humans are terrible drivers’ ad
NYC gig workers need help accessing safe e-bikes amid lithium battery fires
The sight of bike delivery workers hustling through the streets of New York – oven mitts duct taped to their handlebars, insulated pizza delivery bags strapped above the back tire – has been a staple long before the introduction of e-bikes and food delivery apps. Delivery workers are so integral to the landscape that it’s… Continue reading NYC gig workers need help accessing safe e-bikes amid lithium battery fires
Cruise, Waymo say humans are bad drivers amid robotaxi permit delays
Autonomous vehicle companies Cruise and Waymo have separately pushed a narrative this week that humans are bad drivers, and that their technologies are crucial to making roads safer. The moves – full-page ads in major newspapers from Cruise and a blog post from Waymo – come as California regulators delay for a second time granting… Continue reading Cruise, Waymo say humans are bad drivers amid robotaxi permit delays
Domino’s strikes deal to list its menu on Uber Eats and Postmates in the US
Domino’s, the world’s largest pizza company in terms of sales and stores, has entered an agreement with Uber to list its menu on Uber Eats and Postmates. The deal indicates that Domino’s is reversing its stance against working with third-party delivery companies in the U.S. Shares of Domino’s soared more than 10% on the news… Continue reading Domino’s strikes deal to list its menu on Uber Eats and Postmates in the US