Waymo Madness in SF! Why robotaxis clogged the streets | E2227

December 22, 2025

AI Summary

5 min read

🎙️ The Speakers & Context

The Format: Duo-hosted daily news breakdown with high-energy banter, blending real-time anecdotes, market predictions, and a startup pitch.
The Key Players:
- Jason Calacanis (Host/Investor): Early Uber investor who models rideshare economics and previews Tesla's Optimus/Robotaxi tech via exclusive access.
- Alex Wilhelm (Co-Host/Strictus Editor): Data-driven analyst charting AI benchmarks and M&A trends with Polymarket odds and intelligence indices.

🎣 The Executive Hook

The "One Big Idea": Robotaxis collapse ride costs from $2-3/mile to $0.50-$1/mile via scale and efficiency, inducing explosive demand that shifts 50% of trips to rideshare networks, obsoleting personal car ownership. Providers become network-agnostic (supplying to Uber/Lyft), sparking a 500 million vehicle ramp-up over a decade and dwarfing prior wealth creation in the sector. Tesla's manufacturing moat enables 3-5M units/year dominance.
Why It Matters: Amid Fed rate cuts and AI compute scarcity, this unlocks trillions in transportation spend (rivaling food/shelter), fueling hyperscalers like Google/Tesla while regulators lag city-by-city approvals.

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What you'll learn

1 `(00:00)` **Waymo Power Outage Chaos in San Francisco**
2 `(04:30)` **Tesla Robotaxis Unaffected, End-to-End vs. Map-Based Systems**
3 `(07:30)` **Starlink Integration and Connectivity Future**
4 `(11:00)` **Jason's Tesla Lab Visit: Optimus 3 and Robotaxi Preview**
5 `(13:00)` **Robot Adoption, Privacy Shifts, and FSD Safety Tips**
6 `(17:00)` **Ridesharing Revolution Model and Baidu News**
7 `(22:00)` **Robotaxi Network Agnosticism and Market Boom**

+ Full timestamped outline available in the app

Show Notes

This Week In Startups is made possible by:

Caldera + Lab - http://calderalab.com/TWIST

Crusoe Cloud - https://crusoe.ai/build

Uber - http://uber.com/twist

Today’s show:

Why did a power outage in the Bay Area cause Waymos to pile up on city streets?

Jason was actually in San Francisco to take in the spectacle of Waymos blocking traffic. But why did this happen? And can we look forward to a day when automated cars are more graceful and coordinated than ballet dancers performing “Swan Lake”? We’re asking the tough (and also culturally erudite) questions!

PLUS self-driving cars are coming to London, Coinbase’s buying spree continues, another entrant in our nearly-complete Gamma Pitch Deck Competition, AND why Jason predicts that Google is going to buy UBER!

You won’t want to miss this holiday TWiST!

Timestamps:

(00:00) It’s a holiday TWiST! Jason’s calling in from vacay in Lake Tahoe.

(03:11) Jason was in SF for the great Waymo power outage!

(06:06) Why Jason says one day Waymos will be better coordinated than dancers in “Swan Lake”

(07:33) We predicted Starlink coming to every Tesla nearly 3 years ago!

(09:05) Caldera + Lab: Whether you’re starting fresh or upgrading your routine, Caldera Lab makes skincare simple and effective. Head to http://calderalab.com/TWIST and use TWIST at checkout for 20% off your first order.

(11:29) Jason calls what Tesla’s Optimus team is planning “otherworldly”

(14:39) Why Jason thinks we’re all going to live in an “Opt-In Truman Show” someday soon

(18:52) Baidu, Lyft, and Uber bring self-driving cars to London… they don’t have them already?!

(20:49) Crusoe Cloud: Crusoe is the AI factory company. Reliable infrastructure and expert support. Visit https://crusoe.ai/build to reserve your capacity for the latest GPUs today.

(24:02) When do we get to 50% of all rides being done by autonomous vehicles… and how many robotaxis will that take?

(27:50) Why Jason thinks Google is going to buy… UBER?!

(31:12) Uber AI Solutions: Your trusted partner to get AI to work in the real world. Book a demo with them TODAY at http://uber.com/twist

(32:30) Will it eventually come down to whic