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founder Dave Ferguson said. “It gives shipping costs has improved
us the opportunity to really take a drastically in the past month, as a
stab at this.” huge chunk of the retail market—
As would-be autonomous forces from groceries to gourmet dining—
have aligned, it has become easier The novel coronavirus, shifted online. “The virus has both
for investors to place bets. Since however, is likely to broadened and accelerated the use
2009, the companies working on decimate the field. case,” Silberg explained.
robocars have disclosed at least
$14 billion worth of investment. Burns, the former General Motors
What was essentially risky venture The most likely dropouts are smaller, executive, figures that safe,
capital slung scattershot across less-capitalised startups, as well as ubiquitous self-driving vehicles
dozens of startups has condensed large companies for which self- are likely to cut at least half of the
into something more akin to private driving technology is secondary to, costs from trucking freight. This is
equity: market-making mountains of say, making cars. the market-warping potential that
money getting behind a few select As companies switch into survival SoftBank, Kleiner Perkins and others
efforts. are betting on—the microeconomics
mode, noncritical expenses will be that automakers can no longer afford
Nuro, which rounded up $1 billion cut ruthlessly, according to Gartner to ignore.
from SoftBank, said the cash analyst Mike Ramsey. “A lot of
being deposited in the self-driving these efforts may just cease to exist “Even the best of the best are going
landscape has provided a critical without so much as a Medium post to be feeling a lot of pressure right
slug of optimism. “It doesn’t change to flag it,” he said. “I anticipate we’re now,” he said. “But if I was sitting on
our plan or our mission, but it gives going to see a pretty big winnowing.” a big pile of money, and I believed
partners a lot of confidence that autonomous was inevitable—which I
we’re going to be around,” co- Still, the economic case for cheaper do—this would be a good play.”

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22 DRIVE A2B magazine · www.drivea2b.com.au · June 2020