01 / Field guide
Who does the work when a robotaxi has no driver?
Driverless rides still need dispatch, charging, cleaning, remote assistance, and recovery. Those operations decide whether robotaxis can scale.
Read the storyIndependent field notes on autonomous mobility
The car drives itself. The work doesn't.
Paid rides, fleet operations, remote help, labor, permits, and the economics that decide whether autonomous mobility can scale.
Beyond the demo
Autonomy has a back office.
Someone still keeps the fleet moving. We follow that work, and what it costs.
Meet the hidden crew
Start here / 02 field guides
The essential reading.
02 / Field guide
Gig platforms after Prop 22: unions, robotaxis, and the earnings grind
Uber, Lyft, and DoorDash still run on contractor labor under Prop 22-era rules. Unions, EV subsidies, and robotaxis are three different answers to the same cost problem.
Read the storyLatest writing
From the field.
- 01
Robotaxis: what actually ships (and what still needs a person)
Waymo operates driverless rides across multiple cities. California permits still put Tesla in a different category. The work around each ride matters.
- 02
Waymo pays DoorDash drivers $11 to close robotaxi doors
An open door stops a Waymo robotaxi. In Atlanta, DoorDash drivers are paid about $11 to close it and return the car to service.
- 03
Lyft’s soft Q1 outlook needs more than a weather explanation
Lyft paired a strong 2025 with cautious Q1 guidance. I would watch bookings and adjusted margin before blaming one storm.
- 04
Uber grew fast in Q4. The earnings miss needs a closer look.
Uber’s Q4 2025 bookings and cash flow grew, while investment marks complicated EPS. The operating margin deserves its own read.
- 05
Tesla started Cybercab production; the ride business is still the test
Tesla's April 2026 Cybercab production target became an early production milestone. Public fleet deployment and operating cost remain separate, unproven steps.
- 06
DoorDash's Q3 profit was real. Its new spending still needs a scorecard.
DoorDash earned $244 million in Q3 2025 and planned a large increase in 2026 investment. The global technology stack is the test.
- 07
Lyft Missed Earnings by 60% and the Stock Went Up
Lyft missed Q3 EPS by 60% but the stock jumped 7%. Wall Street cared about one thing: $1.03 billion in free cash flow for the first time ever. That's the metric that actually matters.
- 08
Q3 2025 Gig Earnings: The Orders Were Easy. The Costs Weren't.
Uber, DoorDash, and Lyft all grew in Q3 2025. The useful question is what each had to spend to keep growing, and which costs actually showed up in the filings.
- 09
Waymo's 2025 expansion promises met three different launch tests
Waymo named Detroit, Las Vegas, and San Diego in 2025. By September 2026, public rides had begun in two; Detroit still needed a public launch.
- 10
Zoox's Hayward factory has capacity; its fleet still needs a ramp
Zoox designed its Hayward line for eventual volume, but factory capacity is not output. The harder measure is how many vehicles enter reliable public service.