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Tesla’s Viral ‘Autonomous’ Car Delivery Video Is Splitting the Internet

Elon Musk loves a show. Tesla’s marketing machine thrives on spectacle, and on June 27, the company delivered another bold display: a 30-minute video purporting to show the first-ever fully autonomous delivery of a Tesla vehicle, no driver, no remote control. “The first fully autonomous delivery of a Tesla Model Y from factory to a customer home across town, including highways, was just completed a day ahead of schedule!!” Musk posted on X. In a follow-up, the billionaire CEO escalated the hyp

Tesla says it delivered its first car autonomously from factory to customer

is transportation editor with 10+ years of experience who covers EVs, public transportation, and aviation. His work has appeared in The New York Daily News and City & State. This might be a bigger deal than the robotaxis. Tesla said it completed its first fully autonomous vehicle delivery from factory to customer. A video posted on X shows the vehicle — a Tesla Model Y — leaving the company’s Austin Gigafactory, driving on the highway, passing through suburban sprawl and residential neighborho

10 Years of Pomological Watercolors

10 years of pomological watercolors A decade ago today I published a blog post calling for the US government to release its paintings of fruits. The Pomological Watercolor Collection, as I had recently come to know, is a beautiful and remarkable corpus of over 7,000 pictures of fruits and other biological specimens, made between the 1880s and 1940s. Through a handful of FOIA requests I’d learned that the images had been meticulously digitized and put online for purchase, but that less than 100

Travis Kalanick is trying to buy Pony AI — and Uber might help

Uber founder Travis Kalanick is looking for ways to buy the U.S. arm of Chinese autonomous vehicle company Pony AI, according to The New York Times. Kalanick is reportedly working with investors to finance an acquisition, and Uber may even help make the transaction happen, the Times reports. Pony AI went public last year and had a market cap of around $4.5 billion before The New York Times report was published. The report states that Pony started preparing its U.S. arm for a sale or spinoff in

Waymo Expands Its Self-Driving Service to Atlanta. Here's Everywhere to Hail a Ride

Self-driving cars are slowly becoming less sci-fi and more real-world as companies like Waymo, the driverless arm of Google's parent Alphabet, expand into more cities. Its newest service area: Atlanta, through a partnership with Uber. Now riders there can travel across 65 square miles of the city, and there are plans for future expansions. Last week, the robotaxi service stretched into more parts of the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles. Bay Area riders can hail a fully autonomous Waymo ri

Volkswagen's ID Buzz AD self-driving van is ready for mass production

In a nutshell: After years of testing, Volkswagen is now ready to bring its new all-electric vehicle to the US and European markets. The ID. Buzz AD isn't just a minivan for carrying passengers, it's part of a broader platform the German automaker hopes to sell to companies looking to launch their own autonomous transportation services. The self-driving, all-electric version of the ID. Buzz minivan is reportedly ready for mass production, according to the company's software subsidiary, Moia. Th

A new pyramid-like shape always lands the same side up

In 360 BCE, Plato envisioned the cosmos as an arrangement of five geometric shapes: flat-sided solids called polyhedra. These immediately became important objects of mathematical study. So it might be surprising that, millennia later, mysteries still surround even the simplest shape in Plato’s polyhedral universe: the tetrahedron, which has just four triangular faces. One major open problem, for instance, asks how densely you can pack “regular” tetrahedra, which have identical faces. Another as

A New Pyramid-Like Shape Always Lands the Same Side Up

In 360 BCE, Plato envisioned the cosmos as an arrangement of five geometric shapes: flat-sided solids called polyhedra. These immediately became important objects of mathematical study. So it might be surprising that, millennia later, mysteries still surround even the simplest shape in Plato’s polyhedral universe: the tetrahedron, which has just four triangular faces. One major open problem, for instance, asks how densely you can pack “regular” tetrahedra, which have identical faces. Another as

Intel hits the brakes on its automotive business, and layoffs have started

Intel is shuttering its automotive architecture business and laying off most of its staff as part of a broader restructuring at the chipmaker. The news was first reported by The Oregonian/Oregon Live, which cited an internal memo that was shared with employees Tuesday morning. Intel confirmed to TechCrunch that plans to wind down the auto business were communicated internally on Tuesday. “As we have said previously, we are refocusing on our core client and data center portfolio to strengthen o

The German automotive industry wants to develop open-source software together

Collaboration for more speed, efficiency, and security in software development and the basis for an open and collaborative ecosystem With the support of the German Association of the Automotive Industry (VDA), 11 companies in the automotive industry have agreed on pre-competitive cooperation in open source software development. A corresponding Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed today at the 29th International Automotive Electronics Congress (AEK). With the increasing importance and

Ambarella shares soar 19% on report chip designer is exploring sale

Ambarella shares popped 19% after a report that the chip designer is currently working with bankers on a potential sale. Bloomberg reported the news, citing sources familiar with the matter. While no deal is imminent, the sources told Bloomberg that the firm may draw interest from semiconductor companies looking to improve their automotive business. Private equity firms have already expressed interest, according to the report.

Ambarella shares soar 17% on report chip designer is exploring sale

Ambarella shares popped 17% after a report that the chip designer is currently working with bankers on a potential sale. Bloomberg reported the news, citing sources familiar with the matter. While no deal is imminent, the sources told Bloomberg that the firm may draw interest from semiconductor companies looking to improve their automotive business. Private equity firms have already expressed interest, according to the report.

Uber Launches Waymo Driverless Rides in Atlanta. Here's How to Hail a Robotaxi

Table of Contents Uber Launches Waymo Driverless Rides in Atlanta. Here's How to Hail a Robotaxi Starting Tuesday, Uber riders in Atlanta can hail a Waymo robotaxi to get around town. Now, when you book a ride via UberX, Uber Comfort or Uber Comfort Electric, you could be paired with a fully electric, autonomous Jaguar I-Pace vehicle operated by Waymo, Alphabet's self-driving company, at no additional cost. You'll have the option to accept or decline the driverless ride each time. Passengers c

Tesla’s $100 Billion Robotaxi Rally

Tesla is celebrating a massive win on Wall Street. Following the weekend launch of its long-awaited robotaxi service, the company’s shares jumped more than 10% in Monday trading session, adding a staggering $104 billion to its market capitalization and pushing the total value of the Elon Musk-led company to $1.14 trillion. The surge was a direct response to the limited debut in Austin, Texas, where a small fleet of about a dozen Model Y SUVs began operating in a geofenced area. For investors, t

Homotopy Equivalences

Previously: Fibrations and Cofibrations. In topology, we say that two shapes are the same if there is a homeomorphism– an invertible continuous map– between them. Continuity means that nothing is broken and nothing is glued together. This is how we can turn a coffe cup into a torus. A homeomorphism, however, won’t let us shrink a torus to a circle. So if we are only interested in how many holes the shapes have, we have to relax our notion of equivalence. Let’s go back to the definition of home

TechCrunch Mobility: Applied Intuition’s eye-popping valuation, the new age of micromobility, and Waymo’s wild week

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. Sign up here for free — just click TechCrunch Mobility! Waymo might be the largest commercial robotaxi operator — offering 250,000 paid rides per week — but it is hardly smooth. The past seven days in Waymo’s world illustrates just how dynamic the burgeoning robotaxi business can be. The company limited service nationwide on June 13 ahead of scheduled “No Kings” protests against Presid

The startups rolling out of Europe’s early-stage micromobility scene

Early-stage micromobility has shifted over the last few years. The cowboy antics of e-scooter companies causing chaos in a bid to scale has faded along with those fat venture checks that are now flowing to AI startups. Tighter capital combined with an existential need to create sustainable business models has produced a new crop of micromobility startups. This week, I attended Micromobility Europe in Brussels, where I toured the conference’s so-called “Startup Arena” to get a sense of what Eur

Tesla and Google’s Robotaxis Still Really Aren’t That Autonomous

Tesla’s impending robotaxi service comes with a whole list of caveats you’ll need to agree to before you huddle into the backseat of its autonomous vehicles. Or, perhaps they’re not really that autonomous. The first Tesla Model Y Cybercab services will be limited to select participants (including Tesla influencers), but even then drivers can expect to have a “safety monitor” in the driver’s seat. This may be a remote individual making sure the cars don’t cause any vehicular snafus, but it also s

How Texas’ hands-off approach to autonomous vehicles gave Tesla an opening

Last week, a Tesla Model Y with the word “ROBOTAXI” scratched into its side and no one in the driver seat made a turn off Austin’s bustling South Congress Avenue. Another Tesla, described by autonomous vehicle experts as a “chase vehicle,” followed closely behind. Tesla CEO Elon Musk commented on the clip, seemingly confirming that the lead car was one of roughly 10 vehicles comprising the company’s robotaxi fleet, expected to make their official debut sometime next week. If that does occur, it

Base44 sells to Wix for $80M cash

There’s a lot of talk in the startup world about how AI makes individuals so productive that it could give rise to a generation of “solo unicorns” — one-person companies worth over $1 billion. While an actual solo unicorn remains a mythical creature, Israeli developer Maor Shlomo provided compelling evidence Wednesday that the concept might not be impossible. Shlomo sold his 6-month-old, bootstrapped vibe-coding startup Base44 to Wix for $80 million, Wix announced Wednesday. And the deal was c

Six-month-old, solo-owned vibe coder Base44 sells to Wix for $80M cash

There’s a lot of talk in the startup world about how AI makes individuals so productive that it could give rise to a generation of “solo unicorns” — one-person companies worth over $1 billion. While an actual solo unicorn remains a mythical creature, Israeli developer Maor Shlomo provided compelling evidence Wednesday that the concept might not be impossible. Shlomo sold his 6-month-old, bootstrapped vibe-coding startup Base44 to Wix for $80 million, Wix announced Wednesday. And the deal was c

6-month-old, solo-owned vibe coder Base44 sells to Wix for $80M cash

There’s a lot of talk in the startup world about how AI makes individuals so productive that it could give rise to a generation of “solo unicorns” — one-person companies worth over $1 billion. While an actual solo unicorn remains a mythical creature, Israeli developer Maor Shlomo provided compelling evidence Wednesday that the concept might not be impossible. Shlomo sold his 6-month-old, bootstrapped vibe-coding startup Base44 to Wix for $80 million, Wix announced Wednesday. And the deal was c

Palantir’s CEO Throws Money Behind Andrew Cuomo in NYC Mayoral Race

Alex Karp, the billionaire CEO of creepy defense contractor Palantir, has taken a side in New York’s closely watched mayoral race. Karp, who once bragged that his company kills people, recently gave a large sum of money to a Super PAC that is supporting the campaign of former New York governor Andrew Cuomo. Cuomo is currently running against Zohran Mamdani, a 33-year-old assemblyman for the city’s 36th district in Queens. The race between the two candidates has become a referendum on New York’s

Six-month-old, solo-owned vibe coder Base44 sells to Wix for $80M cash

There’s a lot of talk in the startup world about how AI makes individuals so productive that it could give rise to a generation of “solo unicorns” – one-person companies worth over $1 billion. While an actual solo unicorn remains a mythical creature, Israeli developer Maor Shlomo provided compelling evidence Wednesday that the concept might not be impossible. Shlomo sold his six-month-old, bootstrapped vibe-coding startup Base44 to Wix for $80 million deal, Wix announced Wednesday. And the dea

Waymo's Self-Driving Service Expands in California, With Eyes on New York. What to Know

Self-driving cars are slowly becoming less sci-fi and more real-world as companies like Waymo, the driverless arm of Google's parent Alphabet, expand into more cities. This week, the robotaxi service stretched into more parts of the San Francisco Bay Area and Los Angeles. And starting next month, Waymo will start testing its autonomous tech in New York City. Now, Bay Area riders can hail a fully autonomous Waymo ride in Brisbane, South San Francisco, San Bruno, Millbrae and Burlingame via the W

Voi CEO says he’s open to acquiring Bolt’s micromobility business

Shared micromobility startup Voi is on the hunt for acquisitions. And on CEO Frederik Hjelm’s wishlist is Bolt, the European mobility super-app best known for ride-hailing. Not that Bolt’s micromobility business is necessarily for sale — despite talk of Voi buying the company’s scooter and bike arm. Bolt declined to comment when TechCrunch reached out. “Bolt is a great company, but they are mainly a ride-hailing company,” Hjelm told TechCrunch on stage at the Micromobility Industries roundtabl

Waymo has set its robotaxi sights on NYC

Waymo said Wednesday it has applied for a permit to test its autonomous vehicles in New York City, the Alphabet company’s first step in a sticky regulatory process to bring its robotaxis to U.S.’s largest city. Waymo applied for a permit with the New York City Department of Transportation to operate its self-driving Jaguar I-Pace vehicles with a human safety operator behind the wheel in Manhattan. New York’s autonomous vehicle demonstration or testing permit requires a human driver to be able t

Jason Momoa’s Kid Was Just Cast in ‘Dune 3’

Just when you thought one Momoa starring in a Dune movie was a big deal, a whole second Momoa is entering the conversation. We already knew Jason Momoa was expected to return for Denis Villeneuve’s third and final Dune film, Dune Messiah, whenever it comes to be. But now, his son, Nakoa-Wolf Momoa has joined the cast along with Silo’s Ida Brooke as the kids of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and Chani (Zendaya). Deadline broke the news of the casting, which is the first public movement on the

Waymo Expands Its Self-Driving Service Throughout California. Here's Everything to Know

Self-driving cars are slowly becoming less sci-fi and more real-world as companies like Waymo, the driverless arm of Google's parent Alphabet, expand into more cities. On Tuesday, the robotaxi service stretched into more parts of the San Francisco Bay Area, and it'll also be extending its reach in Los Angeles this week. Now, Bay Area riders can hail a fully autonomous Waymo ride in Brisbane, South San Francisco, San Bruno, Millbrae and Burlingame via the Waymo One app, and select riders can acc

Applied Intuition raises $600M as it pushes further into defense

Buzzy autonomous vehicle software company Applied Intuition has closed a $600 million Series F and tender offer, pushing its valuation up to $15 billion. The round was co-led by BlackRock-managed funds and Kleiner Perkins, and included new investments from the Qatar Investment Authority, Abu Dhabi Investment Council, Greycroft, and more. Existing investors General Catalyst, Lux, Elad Gil, and Mary Meeker’s growth fund Bond also participated. Applied Intuition’s raise comes just one year after