Robotaxi Reality Check: The Competitors, the Tech, and the Roadblocks Ahead

For this episode, I explore the emerging “Robotaxi Wars.” Waymo, long considered the gold standard for autonomous ride-hailing in the U.S., now faces new competition from Amazon’s Zoox and the latecomer Tesla. I discuss how Waymo has spent years and billions building a multi-city fleet using modified vehicles from established automakers, while Zoox is betting on funky, fully symmetric, purpose-built pods with no steering wheel. Meanwhile, Tesla is testing supervised robotaxis in Austin but is roughly a decade behind Waymo. I also question who will ultimately master all-weather, all-city autonomy—especially in dense, complex environments like Boston—and suggest that although the field is becoming crowded, Waymo remains the leader to watch.