PODCAST · technology
Autonocast
by Autonocast
Zero BS conversations w/Alex Roy, Kirsten Korosec, and Ed Niedermeyer about autonomy, electrification, and the future of transportation.
Episodes
-
#374: Robotaxi Backlash: Waymo, Tesla and the Fight Over Who Controls Autonomous Vehicles
Robotaxi backlash is growing just as Waymo, Tesla and other autonomous vehicle companies accelerate expansion. The Autonocast examines failed AV emergency hotlines, local resistance to driverless cars, and the federal push for standardized safety testing. Alex Roy, Ed Niedermeyer and Kirsten...
-
#373: Are Robotaxis Anti-Human? Waymo, Tesla Cybercab and the Religious Backlash Against AI
Ed, Kirsten & Alex tackle religious backlash against AI as Baptist pastors challenge driverless cars on theological grounds. Does automation threaten humanity, jobs, and social connection? Also, more on Tesla Cybercab’s controversial controls, FSD safety interventions, driver monitoring…
more -
#372: FUKT.Purist Reveal, Dumb Headlines, Flock, and CyberCabs
Ed’s in Venice, so Alex and Kirsten discuss the FUKT.Purist Satirical Hypercar Reveal, fake engine sounds and smells, privacy, surveillance, Angeles Death Highway, Waymo in San Diego, Dumb Headlines, the Rivian R2, CyberCab challenges for 1st Responders, and Alex makes a prediction. EPISODE...
-
#371: Will Your Kids Ever Drive? Waymo, Uber and the Robotaxi Endgame
In this episode of The Autonocast, Alex Roy, Ed Niedermeyer, and Kirsten Korosec debate the latest wave of autonomous vehicle optimism, sparked by Uber President and COO Andrew Macdonald’s prediction that his young children may never need driver’s licenses. The crew compares today’s robotaxi boom...
-
#370: Uber’s $10 Billion Robotaxi Bet, Lucid’s Reset, and Will Ford’s $30K EV Kill Slate?
Uber is going all-in on autonomous vehicles, committing roughly $10 billion across more than 30 AV partnerships. But how many of those bets will actually produce commercially viable robotaxis—and does Uber ultimately become the Expedia of autonomous transportation? In this episode of The...
-
#369: Mobileye CEO Exit, Tesla Robotaxi Controversy & the Battle for Autonomous Vehicle Regulation
Alex Roy, Ed and Kirsten discuss Mobileye founder Amnon Shashua’s transition from CEO, Tesla’s expanding robotaxi ambitions, Waymo’s latest safety research, and the growing regulatory battle shaping autonomous vehicles. Also, Kirsten presses Alex on his uncharacteristic reticence.
-
#368: How Aseon Labs Is Solving AV Operations, w/Co-Founder George Kalligeros
Alex, Ed, and Kirsten sit down with George Kalligeros, CEO and co-founder of Aseon Labs, to explore the overlooked infrastructure required to scale autonomous vehicles and robotaxis. The discussion covers robotic vehicle servicing, decentralized charging, autonomous fleet maintenance, Waymo and...
-
#367: SpaceX, Waymo, Lucid, and Alex’s Tesla Solar Obsession
Alex goes long SpaceX, Ed goes on even longer, and Kirsten brings the show down to earth to talk Waymo, Uber, Wayve, and Motional…until the boys drag it back to Tesla Solar, Porsche 928s, and much, much more.
-
#366: Sex, Family, and the Ferrari Luce EV
Alex offends everyone with his POV on automotive design, Ed wants to talk Tesla, and Kirsten brings it back around to Waymo, Zoox, and actual analysis of the AV/EV business.
-
#365: How To Insure Autonomous Vehicles w/Steve Miller of Hub International
Steve Miller, SVP Innovation @ Hub International, explains one of the least understood but most critical aspects of autonomous vehicles: insurance. From the earliest days of self-driving startups like Drive.ai to today’s robotaxi deployments, Steve explains how insurers evaluate risk, liability,...
-
#364: Alex Got Solar, Uber’s AV Future, Waymo Ops, Gossip, Ed’s Fave Robotaxis
The gang discuss Alex’s new Tesla solar install, Waymo ops challenges, and Uber’s evolving self-driving strategy. Also, Ed has issues with you-know-whose robotaxi rollout in Austin. Kirsten and Alex then bring it back to an odd Waymo/Uber flareup, whilst Ed pouts.
-
#363: Lucid Gravity Review, Nuro, Waymo, Tesla FSD, AV Policy Roundup
Did Kirsten enjoy her Lucid Gravity? What’s the Citroen CX of EVs? How’s Waymo Ops doing? Do the CA AV reporting rules make sense? Did Alex enjoy his friend’s use of FSD on a HW 2.5 Model S? Ed & Alex keep it feisty, and Kirsten tries to keep them under control.
-
#362: It’s Electric w/Founder Tiya Gordon
Kirsten, Ed & Alex sit down with Tiya Gordon, co-founder and COO of It’s Electric, to explore how curbside EV charging can unlock electric vehicle adoption in dense cities like New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Los Angeles. We discuss why most public EV chargers fail, how It’s Electric uses...
-
#361: Foxglove w/Founder + CEO Adrian Macneil
In this episode of Autonocast, Alex Roy, Kirsten Korosec, and Ed Niedermeyer talk with Foxglove founder Adrian Macneil about how lessons from Cruise and the autonomous vehicle boom are now fueling a broader robotics revolution. Macneil explains why Foxglove is building the infrastructure layer…
more -
#360: Doordash w/VP of Autonomy Ashu Rege
What’s the optimal form factor for a delivery bot, and why? Doordash VP of Autonomy Ashu Rege joins us to talk BTS @ DoorDash labs, why build rather than buy, why he left robotaxis to work on delivery, and why he drives an old Tesla. Also, Alex admires Ashu’s taste in interior design.
-
#359: Waabi w/Founder + CEO Raquel Urtasun
Fresh off a $1B Series C, Waabi Founder/CEO Raquel Urtasun joins us to answer key questions: Is $1B enough to develop both robotaxis and autonomous trucks? Who is building Waabi's robotaxi vehicle? What's behind Waabi's claim of extraordinary capital efficiency? And what can Waabi do that others...
-
#358: The Remote Ops Debate, Wayve’s $1.2B Bet, Uber’s Robotaxi Strategy
This week we break down Wayve’s massive $1.2 billion round, Uber’s plan to become the global operations layer for autonomy, followed by a punchy debate over remote ops, including congressional scrutiny of Waymo’s overseas remote assistants, and what actually counts as “driving” in an autonomous...
-
#357: Why AV's Need Real World Data w/Nexar's Zach Greenberger
Nexar CEO Zach Greenberger joins Alex, Kirsten and Ed to explain why Autonomous Vehicles need real world data, how Nexar built one of the world’s largest driving datasets, the Uber Labs announcement, and much, much more. Also, the hosts critique each other’s fashion choices.
-
#356: Abandoned by FSD: Tesla’s Pivot, Waymo’s Crash, and the New Autonomy Narrative War
Alex recounts his latest cross-country Tesla Full Self-Driving (FSD) attempt and explains why “zero-disengagement” claims often hide major differences in what counts as an intervention—plus an unforgettable moment where the car nearly strands a co-driver at a sub-zero truck stop. Kirsten, Ed &…
more -
#355: CES Recap, Best Party Stories, and Alex Shares a Shocker
Alex has a shocker for Ed, and the gang debriefs on CES and the mobility party of the year. Plus, a riff on auto shows and our experience in the Motional robotaxi in Vegas.
-
#354: 1st Coast-to-Coast Zero Intervention Tesla FSD Drive w/David Moss
David Moss joins Alex Roy and Ed Niedermeyer to discuss his zero intervention coast-to-coast Tesla FSD drive. Alex is excited. Ed less so, until the end.
-
#353: Annual Prediction Episode, w/SAFE CEO Avery Ash
Avery Ash, CEO of Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE) joins to discuss what we got right & wrong 12 months ago, and weighs in with predictions for 2026. Also, CES party updates, and a special shout-out to an old friend.
-
#352: Waymo...With Great Scale Comes Great Responsibility.
As Waymo scales, so do the edge cases the world's biggest robotaxi fleet will encounter. Also, Ed wants to talk about Tesla, Alex doesn't, and Kirsten keeps it cool.
-
#351: Feisty Thanksgiving Discussion
Sleepy safety drivers, scaling robotaxis, Alex thanks the Autonocast party sponsors, Ed thanks Elon for giving him something to complain about, and Kirsten thanks us for letting her be the adult in the room.
-
#350: How To Fix The SAE Levels w/Bryant Walker Smith
When is self-driving not self-driving? How do the words we use for autonomous vehicles affect safety? Professor Bryant Walker Smith talks about how the SAE levels came to be, how he hopes to improve them, and his latest paper "Self-Driving Means Self-Driving."
-
#349: How To Make AI Useful w/MIT's Bryan Reimer
How to cut through the BS of AI hype? What is the optimal integration of AI into work? What is the best application of AI in human driven vehicles? MIT Research Scientist Bryan Reimer is one of the Top 3 AI BS sniffers on earth, and alone in having a realistic vision of what AI can actually do…
more -
#348: Also Bikes, Tesla HW3, Ghosts
Will Rivian bicycle spinoff Also become the iPhone/Tesla Model S of bikes? Why is it called Also? How much was the branding agency paid? Why did a Tesla see ghosts in a cemetery? How will Tesla handle all the HW3 owners whose cars may never be driverless? Does Ed's BMW "Clownshoe" ZM3 redeem him?
-
#347: Waymo DDOS Attack, Tesla Door Handles, Wayve, 2026 CES Party Info
Should Waymo pranksters be permabanned from the service? Will Tesla survive Ed's door handle obsession? What makes Kirsten a real journalist? Will Alex explain how to get into our 2026 CES party? Also, why AV operations will be more important than the tech itself...
-
#346: Alex Pulled Over, Sperm Racing, Waymo Rain
Alex gets pulled over for the first time in 15 years, Ed is more interested in the wild Silicon Valley Sperm Racing story, and Kirsten brings it back around to Waymo's rainy adventures in Arizona. Will innovation win? Or will Ed drag the show down again?
-
#345: Alex Haag of Futurail
What does an ex-Tesla, VW, and Argo AI executive do next? Take the lessons of autonomy to railroads. Futurail CEO/co-founder Alex Haag explains why rail has not yet been fully automated, how AV technology can mitigate climate change, and how Futurail's hardware/software stack unlocks value and...
-
#344: Billy Thalheimer of Regent
Regent CEO Billy Thalheimer explains why the only thing more awesome than a Lun-Class Ekranoplan is a wing-in-ground-effect vehicle that actually WORKS, with a business model to match. The cold war's coolest "plane" is back, this time with electric propulsion, flight envelope protections…
more -
#343: Tesla's Autopilot Court Loss, AVs in The Naked Gun, A Little Zoox
Alex reviews The Naked Gun's depiction of self-driving cars, Ed puts on his big boy shoes to explain Tesla's big loss in court, and Kirsten rolls her eyes (again) as she brings the show back to Earth. Also, a little Zoox.
-
#342: Dave Ferguson of Nuro
How does a multi-billion dollar self-driving startup pivot from custom autonomous delivery vehicles to L4 software licensing? Nuro co-founder/President Dave Ferguson explains their new plan, the partnership with Lucid and Uber, and why deploying the first-ever luxury robotaxi makes sense. Also,...
-
#341: Boris Sofman of Bedrock Robotics
Former Waymo self-driving truck lead and Anki co-founder Boris Sofman joins The Autonocast to talk about his new company, Bedrock Robotics, and why autonomous construction equipment might be the most important, least-hyped application of AV tech yet. Kirsten and Alex dig into why he left the...
-
#340: On The Ground In Austin
Austin Texas was already one of the hot spots of AV activity, even before Tesla's robotaxi deployment ratched up the hype. With Ed back from a week on the ground, and Alex and Kirsten watching events there closely, the gang has a lot to discuss this week.
-
#339: Flamin' Hot Waymos and other Hot Summer Takes
The summer heat is getting to the gang, as they discuss Tesla's attempt to go driverless in Austin and engage in the burning Waymo discourse that has been roiling the internet.
-
#338: The Big, Beautiful Regulatory Hack
After a brief update about their old, unreliable cars, the gang dives into the latest effort to pre-empt local regulation of AVs, and its many implications.
-
#337: Spring Cleaning
Spring has sprung, and the AV sector is full of happenings. From Sterling Anderson's surprise move from Aurora to GM, to a series of recalls at Waymo and Zoox, the gang discusses the AV sector's busy spring.
-
#336: AVs Are So Back
This week: Aurora goes driverless, Waymo hooks up with Toyota, Uber hooks up with everyone, and the gang gathers to piece together what it all means.
-
#335: John Harris of Harbinger
Before co-founding the medium duty electric truck startup Harbinger, John Harris lived through some of the wildest highs and lows of the post-Tesla EV startup bubble. On this week's episode, he explains how lessons learned from those experiences shaped Harbinger, why medium-duty trucks are so…
more -
#334: Normal Talk For Normal Times
The gang comes together to chat about Wayve's deal with Nissan, Kodiak's decision to SPAC, China's ban on "self-driving" terminology — and of course Tesla. Plus, Alex and Kirsten commiserate on their increasingly expensive classic cars.
-
#333 Reilly Brennan Returns
Reilly Brennan, the godfather of the Autonocast and Trucks VC general partner, returns to the pod for a wide-ranging discussion on the business of robotaxis, how AVs have evolved in the past decade, his latest fund, and some surprising insights into Tesla.
-
#332: Gabe Sganga of Forterra
Forterra has been around the defense and driving automation sectors for years, under names like Robotic Research. Now the firm's VP of Commercial Growth Gabe Sganga joins the show to explain Forterra's new name, new ambitions, and work bringing together new opportunities in defense and logistics.
-
#331: We Are So Back
Kirsten rides Waymos in Austin, Alex valet parks a Citroen, and Ed stops protesting Tesla for long enough to find Alex's newest eBike.
-
#330: Raquel Urtasun of Waabi
Raquel Urtasun came to the AV sector from academia, first leading research for Uber's Advanced Technology Group, and for the last four years with her own startup Waabi. She joins the show to cast light on Waabi's unique approach to Level 4 trucking, some of the differences between so-called "AV...
-
#329: Ed and Alex Touch The Third Rail
With Kirsten traveling for work, Ed and Alex get back to the topic that they've been tussling over since this podcast began: Tesla and Elon Musk. Of course, that topic has evolved considerably lately, so buckle up.
-
#328: Citroen S&M, Garage Check, God's Eye and more
Alex shares the struggle of fixing a vintage Citroen SM and what it means for software defined vehicles, the whole gang discusses the unique vehicles in their garages, and sneak in a little discussion of BYD's God's Eye news, just so the whole episode isn't one big digression.
-
#327: Mark Groden of Skyryse
Aircraft design may be a mature space, but Mark Groden sees the entire control scheme for aircraft as an opportunity for transformative change, from the cockpit to the electronic architecture to actuators. He joins the gang to explain Skyryse's work on this opportunity, and where it's taking...
-
#326: Tesla Earnings, Yellow AV Journalism, and The Social Contract
Ed and Kirsten kick off the latest episode with a discussion of Tesla's latest earnings report, and are joined by Alex as the conversation turns to a pair of stories out of San Francisco, and Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi's recent comments about AV safety in Davos.
-
#325: CES 2025 Roundup
With another CES in the books, the gang gathers to discuss the highs and lows of the show, the annual Autonocast CES party, and the long-overdue debut of the Autonocast merch shop. Surf over to autonocast dot com and click on the store link to buy shirts, mugs, stickers and support the show.
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
Zero BS conversations w/Alex Roy, Kirsten Korosec, and Ed Niedermeyer about autonomy, electrification, and the future of transportation.
HOSTED BY
Autonocast
CATEGORIES
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Autonocast have?
Autonocast currently has 100 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Autonocast about?
Zero BS conversations w/Alex Roy, Kirsten Korosec, and Ed Niedermeyer about autonomy, electrification, and the future of transportation.
How often does Autonocast release new episodes?
Autonocast has 100 episodes. Check the episode list to see recent publication dates and frequency.
Where can I listen to Autonocast?
You can listen to Autonocast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Autonocast?
Autonocast is created and hosted by Autonocast.
URL copied to clipboard!