Some things I learnt/liked about this episode:
- How cities will change as autonomous cars take over them.
- Cars are no longer the status symbol for teenagers like they used to be - the handheld devices are.
- As opposed to selling cars on how well they drive or the sound of closing the trunk, the car manufacturers would look more like Boeing/Airbus in that they would be selling to fleet operators as opposed to individuals.
- The fleet operators (Uber, Lyft etc) may end up competing instead on how personalized the experience is (think music, ambience settings etc.)
- With most of the cars autonomous, you would be able to, once again, cross streets in the city like people used to in 1900.
... and much more! Here's the synopsis from the official site:
Synopsis: Thanks to freeways, cities became something to get through instead of something to get to. Now, as the next transportation revolution -- from rivers to trains to cars to autonomous cars -- promises to change the face of our cities, what happens to car culture, infrastructure, and more? Who owns what, who pays? And what about the design -- and product management -- challenges, whether it's designing for user trust, city adoption, or an ever-moving target thanks to constantly evolving tech? This episode of the podcast (in conversation with Sonal) covers all this and more, featuring: a16z's Frank Chen, who recently shared 16 questions about autonomous cars; Taggart Matthiesen, director of product at Lyft who covers the core platform as well as development/strategy for autonomous vehicles; and Carl Pope, former executive director and chairman of the Sierra Club -- and author (with former NYC mayor Mike Bloomberg) of the upcoming book Climate of Hope: How Cities Businesses and Citizens Can Save the Planet. Will curb space be the new shelf space? When we value the "iPhone-ness" over the "carness" of cars, what changes? And... will we all drive less, walk more?