Uber’s Autonomous Investments Won’t Be Modest, With or Without Waymo

https://is1-ssl.mzstatic.com/image/thumb/Podcasts221/v4/b1/22/3c/b1223c0a-b01a-9a4c-526c-3e41967f19bb/mza_12906381783163623616.jpg/600x600bb.jpg

Autonomy Markets

Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk

62 episodes

2 days ago

Welcome to Autonomy Markets, the premier podcast that explores the world of autonomous vehicles, self-driving cars, and EV technology, and their impact on the financial markets. Each episode dives into the future of mobility innovation, examining how autonomous driving and AI in transportation are transforming investment strategies, stock market trends, and economic forecasts. Join experts Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk as they discuss the latest advancements in autonomous technology and how these innovations are reshaping the auto industry and global markets.

Technology

RSS

All content for Autonomy Markets is the property of Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk and is served directly from their servers with no modification, redirects, or rehosting. The podcast is not affiliated with or endorsed by Podjoint in any way.

Technology

https://d3t3ozftmdmh3i.cloudfront.net/staging/podcast_uploaded_nologo/42093355/42093355-1727273754192-5d23f4ff068b9.jpg

Uber’s Autonomous Investments Won’t Be Modest, With or Without Waymo

Autonomy Markets

38 minutes 6 seconds

3 months ago

Uber’s Autonomous Investments Won’t Be Modest, With or Without Waymo

This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss Uber’s growing autonomous vehicle investments and why they won’t be modest.

While Uber publicly framed their autonomy spending as “modest” and emphasized share buybacks, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi made it clear on the company’s Q2 2025 earnings call that more OEM partnerships and AV deals are on the horizon.

At the same time, Uber pointed to “recycling” past investments, raising the question: why recycle when the company’s growing free cash flow can support both increased buybacks and significant investments in the autonomy ecosystem? Is this simply a bid to reassure Wall Street while simultaneously preparing for an autonomous future?

Anything is possible and we broke it all down on this week’s edition of Autonomy Markets along with Lyft’s renewed interest in autonomy and their willingness to invest and own assets. As Lyft prepares to spend (with a smaller balance sheet), Uber’s autonomy investments will be anything but modest.

Episode Chapters

0:00 Uber’s Autonomy Investments Narrative

3:49 Who Finances Robotaxi Fleets?

6:16 What is Holding Back Growth of AVs?

8:26 Autonomous Driving Systems

10:20 Uber’s AV Exclusive Deals

12:05 Uber Recycling Investments

16:09 Uber’s Relationship with Waymo

18:49 Lyft is Leaning into Autonomy

21:52 Lyft Partners with Baidu for Europe and UK Markets

24:28 Managing AV Fleets

28:24 Aurora LIVE

31:24 Zoox NHTSA Exemption

32:47 Autonomy Expands the Rideshare Market

37:33 Next Week

Autonomy is transforming industries and creating an entirely new economy that we call the autonomy economy™.

The Road to Autonomy provides advisory and market intelligence services that helps you better understand the market and stay ahead of what’s coming next. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com.

LightShed Partners is a leading independent research firm focused on the convergence of technology, media, and telecommunications. Known for its forward-thinking insights, LightShed Partners provides in-depth analysis on trends, disruptions, and innovations shaping these industries, offering clients data-driven research to inform investment decisions.

⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Sign up for research here.⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠The LightShed Podcast, released every Friday, delivers cutting-edge insights into the world of technology, media, and telecommunications (TMT), focusing on key trends and disruptions shaping the future of these industries. Each episode explores topics like streaming services, social media, digital transformation, and the future of entertainment technology.

Closely followed by key decision-makers in the TMT industries, this podcast provides actionable analysis for investors, industry professionals, and tech enthusiasts. Subscribe to the LightShed Podcast for expert commentary on market trends, investment opportunities, and insights driving the TMT sector forward. For access to this paywalled podcast email: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠team@lightshedtmt.com⁠⁠