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Autonomous vehicle hype is back, and Humble Robotics is bringing it to freights

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Why This Matters

The resurgence of autonomous vehicle technology, exemplified by Humble Robotics' focus on autonomous freight haulers, signals a renewed push in the industry that could transform logistics and transportation. This cycle of investment and innovation highlights both the potential and the challenges of deploying autonomous solutions at scale, impacting consumers through more efficient and potentially cheaper freight services. The return of experienced entrepreneurs and significant funding suggests that autonomous freight could soon become a key component of the supply chain landscape.

Key Takeaways

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The autonomous vehicle space is starting to feel like a repeat of the 2016 hype cycle. Travis Kalanick is back building a robotics company, and the talent wars and capital are heating up the same way they did the first time around. The money’s flowing back, and it’s the people who lived through that first wave who are building the next one.

Humble Robotics founder and CEO Eyal Cohen is one of them. Cohen was at Otto when Uber came calling, later followed Anthony Levandowski to Pronto, and after two decades bouncing between deep tech bets in the Bay Area, his new company came out of stealth in April with $24 million to build a fully autonomous, cabless electric hauler for freight.

Cohen joins Kirsten Korosec on this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast to talk about AV déjà vu and what he’s learned from 15 years of building startups across electrification, solar, and robotics.

Subscribe to Equity on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod.