Tag: Autonomous

The Blood Is On Elon Musk’s Hands

The Blood Is On Elon Musk’s Hands

Elon Musk is happy for prospective Tesla customers, sell-side analysts, buy-side investors and his Twitter followers to believe that Tesla vehicles are fully autonomous when that could not be further from the truth (see our earlier article regarding Autonomous vehicle permits). This fallacy helps promote the narrative around Musk as a genius entrepreneur (newsflash: Musk … Continue reading The Blood Is On Elon Musk’s Hands

Autonomous Vehicle Permits in CA

Autonomous Vehicle Permits in CA

There is a difference between truly Autonomous Vehicles - those qualified to operate without a driver - and ancillary technologies such as driver assist. Below we provide detail about where various Auto OEMs are in their Autonomous evolution as measured by Autonomous Vehicle permits held in the state of California. (For those who receive our … Continue reading Autonomous Vehicle Permits in CA

Apple’s Next CEO Ought To Be An Innovator

Apple’s Next CEO Ought To Be An Innovator

Apple CEO in-waiting Jeff Williams is a Tim Cook clone. We argue that Apple's next Chief Executive ought to be a risk-taking, product-focused CEO that conducts him/herself with a sense of urgency to drive Product & Services growth. Another caretaker CEO would be less than optimal. Companies mentioned: Alphabet (GOOG), Amazon (AMZN), Apple (AAPL), Cerner … Continue reading Apple’s Next CEO Ought To Be An Innovator

Time Waits For No One

Time Waits For No One

Time waits for no one. Fortunes change quickly. Look no further than the case of General Motors (tkr: GM) and Tesla (tkr: TSLA). This time last year GM sported a $55 billion market cap and some months later closed calendar 2019 with $137 billion of revenue. Plenty of time it would seem for GM to … Continue reading Time Waits For No One

Autonomous Robots

Autonomous Robots

A mashup of 3D printing, computer vision, machine learning and other advanced technologies. https://youtu.be/OnWolLQSZic Boston Dynamics (Softbank) "Spot" robot It's an exciting time at the intersection of robotics, computer vision, AI, machine learning, deep learning/neural networks and 3D printing. We roamed MIT's campus earlier this week as we were on site for a 3D printing … Continue reading Autonomous Robots

Amazon’s Autonomous Robotics Acquisition: Canvas Technology

Amazon’s Autonomous Robotics Acquisition: Canvas Technology

Last week Amazon acquired Canvas Technology, an autonomous robotics company designed to automate fulfillment centers. This is Amazon's second acquisition of a robotics company deployed in fulfillment centers. The first was Amazon's March 2012 $775 million acquisition of Kiva Systems, which we had an opportunity to interact with last year in Boston. Amazon reportedly acquired … Continue reading Amazon’s Autonomous Robotics Acquisition: Canvas Technology

Rideshare as an Investment? Don’t Be Spun by the VCs

Rideshare as an Investment? Don’t Be Spun by the VCs

Rideshare as a long-term investment? Right up there with owning an airline. Heck, even if the rideshare companies were operating at scale - running on autonomous vehicle fleets - would you really want to own that business? Depreciating assets, multiple competitors (it will be more than Lyft and Uber), and thin profit margins (we are … Continue reading Rideshare as an Investment? Don’t Be Spun by the VCs

Why Apple Needs to Build the Apple Car

Why Apple Needs to Build the Apple Car

Google, Amazon and Apple are in a war to control the extended home. The automobile is part of that equation. Google, Amazon and Apple are in a three-way heavyweight fight for home supremacy. When it comes to the home - if Google and Amazon are Joe Louis and Muhammad Ali (two pound-for-pound greats) then Apple is Archie Moore (a great heavyweight but … Continue reading Why Apple Needs to Build the Apple Car

Competition Comes from Below: Part II

Competition Comes from Below: Part II

Magna International (tkr: MGA), got its start as a machine tool shop. Today, Magna is automotive supplier to major Auto OEMs, Tier I suppliers, Heavy Equipment manufacturers and Rideshare companies such as Lyft. Humble Beginnings Magna counts BMW, Ford, Honda, Hyundai, Tata, Tesla, Toyota, a number of the China-based Auto OEMs as well as a … Continue reading Competition Comes from Below: Part II

Technology News from the Week: June 25th 2018

Technology News from the Week: June 25th 2018

Technology news items that caught our attention this week: Waymo to launch robo-taxis in Europe: Link Phoenix AZ as petri dish for autonomous driving: Link Kroger is launching a fully driverless delivery service: Link In the “Service, Maintenance, Repair” category: the US Army is using machine learning to predict when combat vehicles need repair: Link … Continue reading Technology News from the Week: June 25th 2018