Episode 354 | Autonomy Markets: Rivian’s Vertical Integration Bet, Wayve’s Nissan Win & Uber’s Autonomy Narrative

Dec 13, 2025

Rivian is making waves with its decision to build its own chips and lidar, moving away from NVIDIA. The introduction of a subscription service raises questions about distractions versus strategic moves. Wayve celebrates a significant partnership with Nissan for a rollout in North America and Japan starting 2027. Meanwhile, Uber grapples with its autonomy narrative as it gets overshadowed by competitors. The episode wraps up with insights into global autonomy trends and how various companies are adapting to the evolving landscape.

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INSIGHT

Wayve-Nissan: Fast OEM Adoption

Wayve's definitive agreement with Nissan targets North America and Japan from 2027 and shows OEMs can move faster than expected.
The implementation may use lidar initially but aims for a camera-centric roadmap depending on OEM preferences.

INSIGHT

Tesla's Scale Leverages Hardware Decisions

Tesla may remove the in-car safety monitor in Austin soon, which would accelerate scale because Tesla can deploy at volume without retrofitting.
If announced, that could reach hundreds of cars by mid-next year due to Tesla's manufacturing scale.

INSIGHT

Waymo's Ride Growth Refutes Demand Fears

Waymo is scaling rapidly, reaching 450,000 rides per week and proving demand exists independent of other platforms.
That growth challenges narratives that autonomous services require third-party demand platforms to succeed.

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This Week on Autonomy Markets, Grayson Brulte and Walter Piecyk discuss Rivian’s bold vertical integration bet as the EV maker announced plans to build their own chips and lidar sensors, effectively moving away from NVIDIA.

Is the introduction of “Autonomy+”, a new software subscription priced to undercut competitors a risky distraction or a necessary move as the company works toward profitability? As Rivian looks inward, Wayve signed a major win, signing a definitive agreement to scale with Nissan in North America and Japan beginning in 2027.

Then there is Uber. Who does Uber want to be when autonomy grows up, and who will their partners ultimately be and what those relationships will look like in the long term? Currently, Uber’s autonomy narrative faces challenges, as the company appears to be playing defense while getting front-run by partners Waymo in the U.S. and Momenta in Abu Dhabi.

Closing out the show, Grayson and Walt discuss the growing world of international autonomy on the weekly Foreign Autonomy Desk segment, covering updates from Bolt, Stellantis, and Caterpillar.

Episode Chapters

0:00 Rivian’s Autonomy Ambitions

13:11 Licensing Autonomous Driving Stacks

17:29 Wayve’s Approach to Autonomy

21:07 Tesla’s Safety Attendant Out in Austin Plans

23:35 Waymo’s Blitz Scaling

27:37 Waymo’s Growing OOH Ad Business

32:32 Uber’s Autonomy Narrative

37:57 Serve Robotics 2,000 Robot Delivery Milestone

39:30 Tensor Auto / Zero Partnership

42:13 Aurora’s Permian Basin Expansion

44:47 Foreign Autonomy Desk

52:16 Next Week

Recorded on Friday, December 12, 2025

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