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Zoox issues second robotaxi software recall in a month following collisionΒ 

Amazon-owned autonomous vehicle company Zoox has issued its second voluntary software recall in a month, following a collision between one of its robotaxis and an e-scooter rider in San Francisco on May 8. The latest incident involved an unoccupied Zoox vehicle operating at low speed, which the company says was struck by the e-scooter after […]

How Silicon Valley’s influence in Washington benefits the tech elite

Since Donald Trump took office, more than three dozen employees, allies, and investors of Musk, Peter Thiel, Marc Andreessen, and Palmer Luckey have taken roles at federal agencies, helping direct billions in contracts to their companies.Β 

Chipotle president Jack Hartung joins Tesla’s board ahead of Tesla Diner launch

Veteran Chipotle executive Jack Hartung was appointed a member of Tesla’s board of directors Thursday, according to a Tesla filing with the SEC. Hartung’s addition to the board comes as Tesla quietly works to finish its 1950s-style diner and charging station in Los Angeles.Β  Hartung brings over two decades of experience as a Chipotle CFO, […]

Uber to introduce fixed-route shuttles in major US cities designed for commuters

Ride-hail and delivery giant Uber is introducing cheap, fixed-route rides along busy corridors during weekday commute hours in major U.S. cities β€” one solution to a world that feels, for most people, more expensive every day.Β  Starting Wednesday, riders in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, New York City, Philadelphia, and San Francisco will be able to […]

The Amazonification of Uber: Part II

Three years ago, I wrote about the Amazonification of Uber, an evolution of the transportation company into a closed business loop that feeds customers back into other Uber channels. At the time, the focus was on how Uber creates customer stickiness by, for example, actively cross-selling food delivery customers into grocery, and grocery into alcohol, […]

Elon Musk’s The Boring Company might be in line for an Amtrak contract

Federal railroad regulators are in talks with Elon Musk’s tunneling firm, The Boring Company (TBC), over a multibillion-dollar Amtrak project, according to The New York Times.Β  Citing sources familiar with the matter, the NYT reports that Federal Railroad Administration officials have spoken with TBC to learn whether the Musk-owned company could save the agency money […]

Vertical Aerospace has a plan to capitalize on Europe’s defense tech moment

Russia’s war in Ukraine and President Donald Trump’s reluctance to support NATO allies has led to a boost in funding for European defense tech. And across industries, startups are leveraging the opportunity. One such company could be U.K.-based startup Vertical Aerospace, which is developing eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft mainly for air-taxi operations. […]

Reddit will tighten verification to keep out human-like AI bots

Redditors around the world were scandalized last week after learning that a team of researchers released a swarm of AI-powered, human-impersonating bots on the β€œChange My View” subreddit. The large-scale experiment was designed to explore just how persuasive AI can be. The bots posted over 1,700 comments, adopting personas like abuse survivors or controversial identities […]

Uber turns to Chinese companies to snap up robotaxi market share in Europe, Middle East

Uber announced its third partnership with a Chinese autonomous vehicle company this week, revealing the ride-hail and delivery giant’s appetite for global domination in the emerging robotaxi sector. Uber said Tuesday it would work with Guangzhou-based Pony AI, which late last year went public on the Nasdaq at a $5.25 billion valuation, to launch robotaxis […]

Uber Eats comes to Turkey via $700M Trendyol Go acquisition

Uber is expanding its presence in Turkey with its latest acquisition.Β  The ride-hail and delivery giant has acquired an 85% controlling stake in Trendyol Go, the online meal and grocery delivery business based in Istanbul, for about $700 million in cash. The deal gives Uber instant market share for Uber Eats in the country, where […]

TechCrunch Mobility: Aurora launches its driverless commercial trucking service, and a surprise bidder joins Canoo’s bankruptcy case

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility β€” your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. Sign up here for free β€” just click TechCrunch Mobility! Your usual host Kirsten has passed the reins to me, Rebecca Bellan, for the day, and I want to talk about Aurora Innovation and its last-minute save.Β  […]

Uber’s latest autonomous vehicle partner? Chinese startup Momenta

Uber announced Friday yet another autonomous vehicle partnership as it leverages its dominant ride-hail and delivery position while relying on partners to supply the self-driving tech it isn’t building in-house. Today, the lucky startup is Chinese self-driving firm Momenta. The tie-up comes a day after Uber added Ann Arbor, Michigan-based May Mobility to its roster […]

Reddit’s AI play is for the Google crowd, not just the community scrollers

Reddit CEO Steve Huffman says there are two kinds of people who come to the social media platform: Scrollers and Seekers. Scrollers are the ones who come to Reddit’s core product, to engage in community conversation about topics they’re passionate about, from r/sourdough to r/popculturechat. Then there are the Seekers, the people who might type […]

May Mobility to launch robotaxis on Uber platform this year in Texas

Startup May Mobility plans to deploy its autonomous vehicles on the Uber platform by the end of 2025, starting in Arlington, Texas, as part of a multi-year partnership. The tie-up with Uber offers May Mobility a chance to grow beyond offering shuttles within campuses and planned communities, while Uber adds May Mobility to its growing […]
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