This week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss GM’s sudden return to autonomous vehicles, Waymo’s growing supply constraints, and the launch of Tensor Auto.
A few months after shutting down Cruise, GM is once again re-entering the autonomous vehicle market, but this time with a twist. This time around the company will be focusing on developing personally-owned autonomous vehicles instead of robotaxis.
This is GM’s third attempt at autonomy, raising questions about whether the company can regain the trust of engineers and the broader industry after repeatedly abandoning past efforts. While GM prepares for another autonomy reboot, Waymo continues to grapple with supply constraints. And then there is a new entrant to the autonomy markets, Tensor Auto (formerly Auto X) which is planning to launch a personally owned autonomous vehicle featuring 37 cameras, manufactured by VinFast.
In corporate moves, Uber Freight CEO Lior Ron has left the company to become COO of Waabi in a surprising move that has drawn significant industry attention.
Episode Chapters
0:00 GM’s Revised Autonomy Plans
11:31 Ford’s Continued Autonomy Disdain
14:37 Where is Toyota?
16:06 Waymo’s Supply Constraints
20:37 Waymo in Atlanta
24:27 Is Waymo Expanding too Fast?
25:25 Tesla FSD
29:43 Robotaxi’s Upcoming Public Launch
33:19 Tesla Eyes NYC Robotaxi Expansion
35:02 Tensor Auto
43:20 Uber Freight / Waabi
52:47 Next Week
Recorded on Friday, August 15, 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.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist
It’s 1996 in rural North Carolina, and an oddball crew makes history when they pull off America’s third largest cash heist. But it’s all downhill from there. Join host Johnny Knoxville as he unspools a wild and woolly tale about a group of regular ‘ol folks who risked it all for a chance at a better life. CrimeLess: Hillbilly Heist answers the question: what would you do with 17.3 million dollars? The answer includes diamond rings, mansions, velvet Elvis paintings, plus a run for the border, murder-for-hire-plots, and FBI busts.