Self-driving truck startup Kodiak Robotics plans to go public via a merger with special purpose acquisition company Ares Acquisition Corporation II. The transaction values Kodiak, which has raised around $243 million to date, at about $2.5 billion pre-money. New and existing Kodiak institutional investors, like Soros Fund Management, ARK Investments, and Ares, have funded or… Continue reading Autonomous trucking startup Kodiak Robotics to go public via SPAC
Tag: Waymo/Google
Week in Review: Jeff Bezos’ secret EV startup
Welcome back to Week in Review! We’ve got tons of cool stuff for your reading pleasure this week: Jeff Bezos backs EV startup Slate; a Meta whistleblower accuses the company of collusion; Waymo may use interior camera data; and much more. Let’s get to it! I want this: Slate, an EV startup, has the ambitious… Continue reading Week in Review: Jeff Bezos’ secret EV startup
Waymo readies autonomous cars for first international tests in Japan
The company has yet to commit to launching a commercial robotaxi service in the country but is still celebrating the tests as a ‘significant milestone.’ The company has yet to commit to launching a commercial robotaxi service in the country but is still celebrating the tests as a ‘significant milestone.’ Andrew J. Hawkins is transportation… Continue reading Waymo readies autonomous cars for first international tests in Japan
A Waymo robotaxi got trapped in Chick-fil-A drive-through
A Waymo robotaxi caused a traffic jam at a Chick-fil-A in Santa Monica, California, this week after getting stuck in the fast food restaurant’s drive-thru lane. Waymo confirmed the incident, which was first reported by local broadcast station KTLA 5, to TechCrunch via email. Waymo told TechCrunch that there weren’t any passengers in the robotaxi.… Continue reading A Waymo robotaxi got trapped in Chick-fil-A drive-through
Amazon’s Zoox begins robotaxi testing in Los Angeles
Zoox, Amazon’s autonomous vehicle unit, is deploying a small fleet of retrofitted test vehicles on the streets of Los Angeles starting Tuesday – a modest, yet meaningful step as the company inches toward offering public rides in Las Vegas and San Francisco later this year. The data-collection effort marks Zoox’s entrance into its sixth city… Continue reading Amazon’s Zoox begins robotaxi testing in Los Angeles
Waymo: ‘no plans’ to use in-car camera data for targeted ads
An unreleased page from the robotaxi company’s privacy policy raised questions about privacy and AI training. An unreleased page from the robotaxi company’s privacy policy raised questions about privacy and AI training. Andrew J. Hawkins is transportation editor with 10+ years of experience who covers EVs, public transportation, and aviation. His work has appeared in… Continue reading Waymo: ‘no plans’ to use in-car camera data for targeted ads
Waymo may use interior camera data to train generative AI models, sell ads
Waymo is preparing to use data from its robotaxis, including video from interior cameras tied to rider identities, to train generative AI models, according to an unreleased version of its privacy policy found by researcher Jane Manchun Wong. The draft language reveals Waymo may also share this data to personalize ads, raising fresh questions about… Continue reading Waymo may use interior camera data to train generative AI models, sell ads
Clean Technica: A Tesla Bull Spends A Day Testing Waymo In Phoenix003956
Sign up for daily news updates from CleanTechnica on email. Or follow us on Google News! Last Updated on: 6th April 2025, 10:56 pm I tested Waymo’s automated taxis during a Phoenix vacation. I found Waymo’s service comparable to Uber’s/Lyft’s, slightly cheaper, and user-friendly, despite minor pickup inconveniences. Waymo’s driving matched Tesla FSD V13’s best… Continue reading Clean Technica: A Tesla Bull Spends A Day Testing Waymo In Phoenix003956
TechCrunch Mobility: Tesla takes a hit, tariff chaos begins, and one EV startup hits a milestone
Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. Sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! Over the 13 years reporting on Tesla and its CEO, Elon Musk, I have watched the rise, fall, near misses, and rise again of the company and… Continue reading TechCrunch Mobility: Tesla takes a hit, tariff chaos begins, and one EV startup hits a milestone
Trump’s tariffs could mean big business for supply chain software startup LightSource
LightSource cofounders: CTO Idan Mintz and CEO Spencer Penn Courtesy: LightSource With President Donald Trump set to impose sweeping tariffs on a wide swath of U.S. trading partners this week, corporate America is awash in uncertainty. LightSource, a San Francisco startup whose software helps companies manage their procurement process, costs and vendor relationships, didn’t know… Continue reading Trump’s tariffs could mean big business for supply chain software startup LightSource