Abhishek Soni

👩‍💻 Are Zoox and Waymo Automotive Companies or Tech Companies? Five years ago, I made a significant shift in my career: moving from supporting some of the world’s most innovative high-tech customers to working in the automotive industry. It wasn’t just a change of industries— it was stepping into a space where hardware meets AI, where vehicle safety meets software reliability, and where two massive industries are colliding to redefine mobility. As I immersed myself in this new world, one question kept coming up — both for the companies leading the charge and for professionals like me: 🤔 Are companies like Zoox and Waymo automotive companies, tech companies, or something entirely new? Zoox, acquired by Amazon in 2020, is building a fully autonomous vehicle from the ground up — not retrofitting existing models. This places it firmly in the automotive realm for engineering, safety, and manufacturing. But its true edge is its software stack: perception, localization, motion planning, and fleet orchestration — capabilities traditionally owned by robotics and AI firms. Waymo, born from Google’s self-driving project, took a different approach. By partnering with OEMs like Jaguar and Chrysler, it integrates its autonomy platform into existing vehicles. This positions Waymo less as a manufacturer and more as a mobility technology platform, akin to how Android powers various smartphone brands. 🤔 Why Does this matter you might ask? This distinction influences how these companies operate: 👉 Capital Structure: Automotive requires heavy investment in factories and regulatory approval; tech prioritizes software, cloud, and data infrastructure. 👉 Business Models: Automakers sell vehicles; tech companies license platforms or charge per use. 👉 Regulation: Automotive focuses on crash safety and production standards; tech focuses on cybersecurity, AI ethics, and data compliance. 👉 Talent: Automotive attracts mechanical and operational expertise; tech attracts AI, software, and cloud talent. Zoox integrates both worlds — building vehicle + software. Waymo focuses on scaling autonomy software across partners. 🤔 The real answer may not be “automotive” or “tech.” Both companies are moving toward Mobility-as-a-Service — deploying autonomous fleets that could reshape urban transport. Ownership gives way to orchestration: fleets, logistics, and city-scale mobility infrastructure. The automotive and technology industries are no longer separate lanes — they’re converging into a new mobility ecosystem. Zoox and Waymo sit at the center of this transformation, challenging legacy categories. ✅ The question of automotive or tech? is certainly outdated. The answer might be: both — and something more. #AutonomousVehicles #MobilityInnovation #AutomotiveIndustry #MobilityTech #SoftwareDefinedVehicles #FutureOfTransportation #MobilityAsAService #InnovationStrategy

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Most automotive companies chase the biggest markets they can find. That’s usually a mistake. Trillion-dollar markets look attractive from the outside until everyone else piles in, competition explodes while margins collapse, and you need insane scale just to survive. The Ford F-150 is a trillion-dollar market. But Ford can afford to hypervertically integrate everything because the volume justifies the investment. On the other end of the spectrum? $5B markets. But automakers can’t manage something that small. The hypervertical integration isn’t justifiable and you can’t build the manufacturing infrastructure to make the economics work. The real sweet spot sits in the middle. ~$50B markets. Small enough that big OEMs won’t justify the investment in ground-up platforms and vertical integration. Large enough to support full control of the supply chain and generate meaningful revenue. Not because the tech is better, but because no one else can afford to do it. In these markets, we build with manufacturing capacity 1–2 orders of magnitude cheaper than industry norms and because of that we can command 50% margins. That’s semiconductor margins. Not automotive margins. The advantage isn’t innovation for innovation’s sake. It’s choosing markets where discipline beats scale. That’s how you compete with companies 10x your size and win.

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Looking at some research on how BIW is Evolving for EVs. ( As a ex sheetmetal worker BIW has and is never to far from heart) The Body-in-White (BIW) isn’t just a legacy metal frame anymore — it’s being completely reimagined to meet the demands of battery electric vehicles (BEVs). Key trends: Battery as Structure: BIWs now integrate battery packs into the vehicle’s load-bearing architecture for stiffness and crash protection. Lightweighting with Multi-Materials: Advanced steels, aluminium, composites — each material placed where it matters most to offset battery weight. Safety Reimagined: Crash paths and crumple zones are redesigned to protect passengers and batteries. Advanced Joining & Manufacturing: Laser welding, adhesives, and hybrid methods handle complex material mixes. Modular Platforms: Scalable BIWs support multiple EV models and body styles. Sustainable Design: Recycled materials and energy-efficient assembly processes reduce environmental impact. The BIW is no longer a supporting actor — in BEVs, it’s central to performance, safety, and efficiency. What are the challenges you are finding ?

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Rivian posts its first full-year gross profit ⚡🚗R2 validation builds complete, customer deliveries still on track for Q2 2026. Software revenue surges as production scales. 💥 Rivian reported its first full-year gross profit in 2025 and confirmed that customer deliveries of the upcoming Rivian R2 remain on track for the second quarter of 2026. The EV maker narrowed annual losses, boosted software revenue, and completed initial validation builds of the R2 at its Illinois facility as it prepares for its next growth phase. Rivian posted consolidated gross profit of $144 million for 2025, a sharp reversal from a $1.2 billion gross loss the prior year. Net loss for the full year narrowed to $3.64 billion from $4.74 billion, while revenue rose 8% to $5.38 billion. Automotive revenue declined 15% to $3.83 billion, reflecting lower regulatory credit sales and a shift in delivery mix. However, software and services revenue surged 222% to $1.55 billion, driven in part by engineering and electrical architecture work tied to its joint venture with Volkswagen Group, along with remarketing and after-sales growth. https://lnkd.in/gipfYkmE

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Hydrogen engine better approach for electric vehicle. Toyota's approach to clean vehicles is often described as a "multi-pathway strategy," meaning they don't believe there's a single solution for every driver and application. While battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) are a core part of their plan, they see hydrogen fuel cell electric vehicles (FCEVs) as a crucial alternative with distinct advantages. In terms of Refueling Time, which is very similar to filling a gasoline car, Driving Range- The Toyota Mirai, for example, has an EPA-estimated range of up to 402 miles, which is competitive with or better than many BEVs on the market today amd many more. Despite being having multiple advantages and sustainable solution there is a major drawback. The hydrogen refueling infrastructure is currently very limited, making hydrogen cars impractical at present. Toyota is working to expand this network, but it's a "chicken and egg" problem—you need cars to justify stations and stations to justify cars. In summary, while BEVs currently dominate the personal car market due to a more established infrastructure and falling battery costs, Toyota sees hydrogen as a superior technology in specific use cases, primarily where fast refueling and long range are critical. Toyota's focus is on developing a range of zero-emission solutions, and hydrogen fuel cell technology is a major part of that strategy. They are also exploring hydrogen combustion engines, which also produce water as a byproduct. These technologies offer the benefit of quick refueling times and long-range driving, similar to traditional gasoline cars, but with the environmental benefit of zero tailpipe emissions. Misconception because of byproduct: The notion of a "water engine" from Toyota is a common misconception that stems from the company's work with hydrogen fuel cell technology. Toyota has not launched a car that runs on water. Instead, they have been a leader in developing hydrogen FCEV, such as the Toyota Mirai. The "emissions" are water. Inside a fuel cell, hydrogen and oxygen from the air combine in a chemical reaction to create electricity. This electricity powers an electric motor to drive the wheels. The only byproduct of this process is water vapor, which is emitted from the tailpipe. The confusion arises because water is the end product, and in some processes, water can be split to produce hydrogen. However, this process (electrolysis) requires a significant amount of energy, more than the energy you get back from using the hydrogen as a fuel. So, a car cannot simply run on water without an external energy source to produce the hydrogen. Manav Rachna Educational Institutions Vineet Nehra Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Institute of Directors (IOD), India HITAM (Hyderabad Institute of Technology and Management) Shreyas Raisoni #automobileengineering #mechanicalengineers #HydrogenEngine #HydrogenFuel #CleanEnergy #SustainableMobility #GreenTech #FutureOfTransport

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