Chinmaya Patnayak

I can see the future of autonomous taxis as they would certainly help with peak times demand and other use cases, but I can also see how there will be many challenges of making it really work at scale. Here is one, a very ''analogue'' problem, which I am sure leaves Waymo engineers wake at night. Local fleet management operations are crucial, meaning, in every city where AV taxis are launching, the underlying infrastructure forms the backbone and ensures the fleet runs smoothly.

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I work closely with several leading autonomy and robotics companies in the Bay Area 🚗🤖 and regularly connect with engineers across planning, perception, simulation, and robotics systems. One trend I’m seeing across many teams: strong systems engineers are increasingly in demand. The stack (often C++ / Python) matters, but what matters more is deep domain experience in robotics or autonomous systems, particularly around safety, evaluation, validation, and fault handling. If you’re working in this space or curious about what’s happening across AV and robotics, feel free to reach out. #robotics #autonomoussystems #physicalAI

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WAYMO EXPANDS BAY AREA ROBOTAXI SERVICE ACROSS PENINSULA & SILICON VALLEY Waymo continues to lead the autonomous vehicle industry with its latest expansion of robotaxi services across the Peninsula and Silicon Valley. •Waymo’s fully driverless rides are now available in San Mateo, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, and Mountain View, connecting key tech hubs. •The autonomous vehicle industry is projected to surpass $1.2 trillion globally by 2030, with AI-powered robotaxis transforming urban mobility. •Waymo, backed by Alphabet, has logged over 20 million autonomous miles on public roads, setting the industry standard for safety and innovation. •The Bay Area remains a focal point for AI-driven transportation, fueling economic growth, job creation, and cutting-edge research. #AI #AutonomousVehicles #Waymo #Robotics #SelfDriving #TechNews #SiliconValley #Mobility #Innovation

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Thread: Waymo’s robotaxis go driverless in Nashville Waymo’s robotaxi service in Nashville is now operating driverless in select zones and hours, marking a notable milestone for city-scale autonomous mobility. This shift, highlighted in Mashable’s coverage, moves us from pilots to more scalable, on-demand rides in a real urban environment. 1) What happened - In Nashville, Waymo’s robotaxis are running without a human safety driver in defined areas, signaling a significant step toward fully driverless operation in a city context. The change focuses on real-world testing and service at scale, beyond controlled corridors. 2) Why it matters - It demonstrates maturity in sensing, mapping, and decision-making needed for driverless rides in busy streets. - It pushes the industry toward evaluating not just feasibility, but reliability, rider experience, and city integration at scale. 3) What this means for riders and businesses - Riders gain the potential for more predictable travel times and around-the-clock service in certain neighborhoods. - For businesses, it opens opportunities in on-demand mobility, last-mile logistics, and new data-driven service models. - City stakeholders should watch implications for curb management, safety oversight, insurance models, and accessibility. 4) What to watch next - Safety performance across weather, peak hours, and edge cases. - Customer experience: wait times, ride quality, accessibility for all users. - Regulatory and policy updates that shape deployment speed and governance. - The business case: cost structures, partnerships, and ROI for large-scale adoption. Takeaway for leaders: this aligns with a broader trend toward driverless mobility becoming a tangible, city-backed service. If you’re in mobility, real estate, urban planning, or customer experience, now is the time to explore pilots, partnerships, and responsible deployment strategies. Read the full article for details: https://ift.tt/6TwNh0F #Waymo #Robotaxi #AutonomousVehicles #Nashville #Mobility #Transportation #FutureOfMobility #TechNews #Innovation #TAMK #TampereUniversity #BusinessTampere #emobility #mobility #ITSFinland #ITSfactory #Spotlog #byAI

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Soumith Chintala, 𝗰𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 of PyTorch and one of the most respected builders in 𝗺𝗼𝗱𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗔𝗜, has joined Mira Murati ’s fast-rising startup, Thinking Machines Lab. After 11 years at Meta (Facebook), where PyTorch grew from a 𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝗷𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗹𝗼𝗯𝗮𝗹 𝗔𝗜 𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, Chintala’s move signals a new wave in human–𝗔𝗜 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. Thinking Machines Lab isn’t just gathering top talent from Meta, OpenAI, Anthropic, and leading universities—they’re offering 𝗴𝗮𝗺𝗲-𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 (up to $500K), 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝘀𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 $𝟮 𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗱 𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱, and are aiming for a $50 billion market valuation. Their new product, Tinker, is already in use at Princeton, Stanford, and by major enterprises. Meta, meanwhile, is regrouping under the 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗟𝗮𝗯𝘀 division led by Alexandr Wang, with other AI leaders reportedly on the move. Chintala’s reasoning: time to pursue “𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙡, 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙣𝙚𝙬, 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙪𝙣𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙛𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚.” His legacy—the PyTorch tool now thriving in classrooms from 𝗠𝗜𝗧 𝘁𝗼 𝗿𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮—𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗲. #AI #TechNews #PyTorch #Meta #ThinkingMachines #Startup #AIJobs #TalentWar #Innovation #BigFunding

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The end of human drivers? Tried Tesla Robotaxi in the Bay Area for the first time, 8.8 miles from Meta SF to Daly City station for $18. Unlike Waymo, Tesla’s Robotaxi can take the freeway. The ride was smooth, and the decision-making felt far closer to human than “bot-like.” What surprised me most: it’s just a regular Model Y. With the built-in rear screen, any Tesla could potentially be activated as a Robotaxi. That’s scalability at an entirely different level. Waymo might have an early lead, but Tesla’s vision-only approach gives it massive coverage and faster rollout potential. If this scales, Uber, Lyft, and even car ownership itself could be disrupted faster than expected. This is exactly why I quit my job to go all-in on ElasticDash We’re entering a new industrial revolution, the real question is: will you shape it, or be forced to adapt?

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Two recent pieces of Waymo news that are making me very happy: 1) The company just raised another $16B to accelerate its deployment of robotaxis around the world. They’re already serving 6 major metros in the U.S., with an annual volume of ~15 million rides. In 2026, they’re putting their foot on the accelerator (ok, “gas pedal” doesn’t work, their fleet is electric): They’ll add service in 20 more cities, including expansion to Tokyo and London. I’m excited for more people to experience the joys of robotaxis, for larger fleets in existing operating areas, and for faster service. 2) Waymo announced service to SFO. Working with airports has been a huge blocker. And even though you can take a continuous ride from San Francisco to San Jose in a Waymo, you still have to Uber to the airport. That annoyance is no more. Music to my ears. Excited to see Waymo continue to dominate ;)

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