Another autonomous vehicle startup shutters, Zoox expands driverless testing and investor fervor for AI escalates

TechCrunch Mobility is a weekly newsletter dedicated to all things transportation. Sign up here — just click TechCrunch Mobility — to receive the newsletter every weekend in your inbox. Subscribe for free. Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights on the future of transportation. I spent a few days in Austin for SXSW, where I met with up founders and executives, caught a few talks and even moderated two panels. While generative AI was clearly the big attraction, the future of transportation still garnered attention from investors, urban planners, founders, corporations and media. I heard a lot of conversations about how autonomous vehicles would fit into cities as well as debates over what technology could help alleviate traffic and reduce emissions. I caught an interesting conversation between Austin Mayor Kirk Watson and Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, who predicted the company would be greener, more affordable and challenge Amazon in the future. These goals seem a bit more attainable — and higher on the priority list — now that Uber has finally ticked the profitability box. Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana was also at SXSW, where she announced the company will begin offering a robotaxi service to the public in Los Angeles this week and in Austin by the end of the year. Side note: we’re hearing the service in Austin will likely come sometime this summer. Perhaps I will be back in the city sooner than expected! Alrighty, let’s jump into the rest of the news of the… Click below to read the full story from TechCrunch
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