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The long road to driverless with Aurora’s Chris Urmson (Live at HumanX) | Equity Podcast

Self-driving has been “almost here” for over a decade. But somewhere between DARPA challenges and a handful of driverless trucks hauling freight between Dallas and Houston, Aurora co-founder and CEO Chris Urmson’s story changed. The self-driving truck company started commercial driverless operations last April and is now scaling from a handful of trucks to hundreds…

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Self-driving has been “almost here” for over a decade. But somewhere between DARPA challenges and a handful of driverless trucks hauling freight between Dallas and Houston, Aurora co-founder and CEO Chris Urmson’s story changed. The self-driving truck company started commercial driverless operations last April and is now scaling from a handful of trucks to hundreds this year.

On this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast, we’re bringing you a conversation Rebecca Bellan had with Urmson at the HumanX conference in San Francisco. The pair dug into the long road from lab to highway and how physical AI differs from the LLM boom everyone else is chasing.

Subscribe to Equity on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. You also can follow Equity on X and Threads, at @EquityPod.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

00:49 Urmson’s self-driving journey from DARPA to Aurora

03:30 How macro headwinds and supply constraints are shaping Aurora’s roadmap

06:08 Why trucking beats robotaxis as a business

13:46 How Aurora’s path diverged from Waymo’s

18:09 What 24 years in physical AI teaches you about building a startup

19:33 Why safety hits different when there’s no human in the loop

23:38 Verifiable AI vs. end-to-end systems: why it matters for safety

27:11 Other autonomy companies worth watching

29:04 Real-world data vs. simulation: do you still need both?

30:03 Outro

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Science & Technology

How to Stand Out in the Ocean of AI Slop | Mick Mahler | TED

AI artist Mick Mahler has a counterintuitive take: the more powerful the machines get, the less the technology actually matters. Showing delightful examples of his own art, from jazz-playing spiders to a Kafka-inspired beetle film, he explains how you can use new technology to serve your vision (not replace it). (Recorded at TEDNext 2025 on…

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AI artist Mick Mahler has a counterintuitive take: the more powerful the machines get, the less the technology actually matters. Showing delightful examples of his own art, from jazz-playing spiders to a Kafka-inspired beetle film, he explains how you can use new technology to serve your vision (not replace it). (Recorded at TEDNext 2025 on November 10, 2025)

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The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world’s leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less) — plus originals, podcasts and exclusive content. Look for videos on Technology, Entertainment and Design as well as science, business, global issues, the arts and more. Visit for our entire library, transcripts, translations and personalized recommendations.

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#TED #TEDTalks #AI

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CNET

Oura Ring 5 Had Me Cheating on My Wedding Ring | All Things Mobile

I tested the Oura Ring 5 for two months to see if its smaller design lives up to the hype and whether it’s worth the higher price. You can find the products mentioned in this video linked below Oura Ring 5 – Gold World’s Smallest Smart Ring OURA Ring 4 Silver Smart Ring *Cnet may…

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I tested the Oura Ring 5 for two months to see if its smaller design lives up to the hype and whether it’s worth the higher price.

You can find the products mentioned in this video linked below
Oura Ring 5 – Gold World’s Smallest Smart Ring
OURA Ring 4 Silver Smart Ring
*Cnet may get commission on this offer.

Read more about it on CNET.com
Oura Ring 5 Review: I Wore It for a Month and My Wedding Band Is Jealous
Oura Ring 5 vs. Oura Ring 4: New Features Explained and if You Should Upgrade

0:00 Introduction & Why Wearables Fail
0:27 Price, Subscription & Is It Worth It?
0:52 Key Upgrade: Design & Scratch Resistance
1:49 Battery Life Improvements
2:20 App Features & Symptom Radar
2:58 Cycle Tracking for Women
3:15 Accuracy & Sensor Upgrades
3:31 Improved Workout Detection Test
3:57 Heart Rate Accuracy vs. Chest Strap
4:19 Smart Ring vs. Smartwatch
4:50 Should You Buy the Oura Ring 5?

Video Credits
Host: Vanessa Hand Orellana
Videographer: Celso Bulgatti
Editor: Jonathan Gomez

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#ouraring #smartring #wearabletech #fitnesstracker #techreview #cnet

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Science & Technology

How Nvidia Sees The New Entrepreneurship Wave

A tsunami of entrepreneurship is coming and VCs who don’t expand their networks are going to miss out. NVIDIA’s global venture capital alliances and partnerships lead Sydney Sykes joins Isabelle Johannessen on this week’s Build Mode:

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A tsunami of entrepreneurship is coming and VCs who don’t expand their networks are going to miss out. NVIDIA’s global venture capital alliances and partnerships lead Sydney Sykes joins Isabelle Johannessen on this week’s Build Mode:

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