Autonomous vehicle hype is back, and Humble Robotics is bringing it to freights
Quick Answer
The autonomous vehicle sector is experiencing a resurgence reminiscent of the 2016 hype cycle, with Travis Kalanick launching Humble Robotics.
Quick Take
As investment and talent influx grow, industry veterans are spearheading innovations in freight automation, signaling a new wave of development in the field.
Key Points
- Travis Kalanick is re-entering the robotics space with Humble Robotics.
- Investment and talent competition are intensifying in autonomous vehicles.
- Industry veterans from the first wave are leading the next innovations.
- The current hype mirrors the excitement seen in 2016.
- Freight automation is a key focus area for new developments.
📖 Reader Mode
~2 min readThe 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.
Topics
Theresa Loconsolo is an audio producer at TechCrunch focusing on Equity, the network’s flagship podcast. Before joining TechCrunch in 2022, she was one of 2 producers at a four-station conglomerate where she wrote, recorded, voiced and edited content, and engineered live performances and interviews from guests like lovelytheband. Theresa is based in New Jersey and holds a bachelors degree in Communication from Monmouth University.
You can contact or verify outreach from Theresa by emailing theresa.loconsolo@techcrunch.com.
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