Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your hub for the future of transportation and now, more than ever, how AI is playing a part.\u00a0To get this in your inbox, sign up here for free \u2014 just click TechCrunch Mobility<\/a>!<\/em><\/p>\n Normally, I have an analysis and then a little bird (my insidery bits curated just for you). But today I am combining them because I simply have too many little birds talking to me about the new talent wars.<\/p>\n About seven years ago, the founder of a self-driving vehicle company told me that competing with the likes of Waymo<\/strong> for talent was \u201clike a knife fight.\u201d Now it seems there is a new poaching war going on, according to a handful of little birds. And it\u2019s pushing base salaries (not including equity and other benefits) to between $300,000 and $500,000.\u00a0<\/p>\n Here\u2019s what is happening. The buzzy physical AI sector is filled with robotics and defense tech companies looking for people with a specific set of skills (to quote Liam Neeson). And these folks are mostly working at companies developing self-driving trucks and robotaxis.\u00a0<\/p>\n As these employees get lured to other sectors \u2014 including defense \u2014 automakers and startups are being pushed to raise salaries or risk losing the talent to better-paying \u201cphysical AI\u201d jobs.<\/p>\n The ideal candidate for an autonomous vehicle company has hybrid skills, a mix of classical robotics and AI know-how, according to one founder. It\u2019s this specific understanding of how to integrate AI into hardware like humanoid robots, industrial robots, and autonomous forklifts, as well as with construction, mining, and agriculture equipment that has companies fighting over talent.\u00a0<\/p>\n Defense tech startups are apparently the most generous when it comes to compensation, thanks to the Department of Defense\u2019s open wallet. Jobs looking for an applied researcher or AI enablement engineer (or something similar to that) are hot tickets right now.\u00a0<\/p>\n Techcrunch event<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSan Francisco, CA<\/span> This likely won\u2019t hurt Waymo. As one founder noted, Waymo is price insensitive. But startups and automotive, which have heavily invested in autonomous vehicles, will likely be most affected, several little birds told me.\u00a0<\/p>\n I predict a twofold follow-on effect. Automakers will have a hard time holding on to engineers who are working on automated driving, leading to an exodus. Meanwhile, startups will need to raise even more money or get a lot smarter about how those funds are used.<\/p>\n Well you already got the little bird for the week. Scroll up! But I\u2019m keeping this cute graphic around to remind you all to reach out, give me a call, or email with tips!<\/p>\n Remember in 2016 when the words \u201cself-driving\u201d on a pitch deck seemed to instantly produce a term sheet? While the vibes of 2016 have percolated up into 2026, founders and investors have moved on. Now, as you have probably noticed, it\u2019s all about physical AI, a loose category that stretches far beyond robotaxis and self-driving trucks.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n The Palo Alto-based venture firm Eclipse<\/strong> has put itself at the center of the physical AI action and now has another $1.3 billion<\/a> to invest in it. The new $1.3 billion in fresh capital is split between a $591 million early-stage incubation fund and one more oriented toward growth startups.\u00a0<\/p>\n I chatted with Eclipse partner Jiten Behl<\/strong> about the fund and where those dollars are likely headed. I was particularly interested in his thoughts about Eclipse\u2019s role in incubating startups. Eclipse hasn\u2019t cut any new checks just yet, but Behl did say the firm will incubate more startups and said, \u201cWe\u2019re definitely working on a couple of really cool ideas.\u201d<\/p>\n So, stay tuned. And check out the full story here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Other deals that got my attention \u2026<\/strong><\/p>\n Candela<\/strong>, a Swedish electric hydrofoil company, landed a 20-boat order <\/a>with Norwegian operator Boreal. Meanwhile, Candela founder and CEO Gustav Hasselskog<\/strong> is stepping down. Sofia Graflund is the new CEO and Hasselskog will assume the role of executive chairman.\u00a0<\/p>\n Hermeus<\/strong>, a Los Angeles-based defense startup that is developing unmanned aircraft, raised $350 million<\/a> with a $1 billion valuation. That funding includes $200 million in equity led by Khosla Ventures. The remaining $150 million comes in the form of debt.<\/p>\n Sora Fuel<\/strong>, a sustainable aviation fuel startup based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, raised $14.6 million in a round co-led by Spero Ventures and Inspired Capital, Axios reported<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy<\/strong> said during an interview on CNBC that there\u2019s room for airline mergers<\/a> in the United States.<\/p>\n Avride<\/strong> is the latest autonomous vehicle company to face criticism from residents upset about the behavior of its robotaxis. In this case, it involved an autonomous vehicle (with a human safety operator) that ran over and killed a mother duck<\/a> in the Austin, Texas, enclave of Mueller Lake. \u201cIt didn\u2019t slow down or hesitate at all, just steamrolled through,\u201d one witness said.\u00a0Read the story to learn how Avride is handling it.\u00a0<\/p>\n Gas prices<\/strong> aren\u2019t the only factor fueling used EV sales<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n John Deere<\/strong> reached a $99 million settlement agreement<\/a> to resolve \u201cright to repair\u201d litigation pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois. Wired has a good breakdown of the issue<\/a> and why this matters.\u00a0<\/p>\n If you didn\u2019t get the memo, startups and Big Tech companies alike are working on physical AI and automation. Mariana Minerals<\/strong>, which is focused on the mining industry, is one of them. Senior reporter Sean O\u2019Kane interviewed<\/a> founder Turner Caldwell<\/strong>, a former Tesla engineer who founded the startup in 2024, about the company\u2019s latest partnership with autonomous vehicle tech company Pronto<\/strong> (and yes, this is the Pronto founded by Anthony Levandowski that was just acquired by Uber co-founder Travis Kalanick\u2019s startup Atoms).\u00a0<\/p>\n Remember when Elon Musk<\/strong> said a smaller, cheaper $25,000 EV is pointless and silly? Well, according to Reuters\u2019 sources, Tesla<\/strong> is developing an all-new smaller, cheaper electric SUV<\/a>.<\/p>\n Volkswagen<\/strong> will no longer produce the all-electric ID.4<\/a> at its U.S. factory in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Its replacement? High-volume vehicles like the upcoming gas-powered Atlas SUV.<\/p>\n The ID.4 will be available to U.S. consumers until the current inventory runs out. VW tells me that it should last into 2027.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Volkswagen subsidiary MOIA America<\/strong> is making a bit of progress on the autonomous vehicle front. MOIA America and Uber<\/strong> started testing autonomous microbuses<\/a> in Los Angeles ahead of a robotaxi service the companies plan to launch by late 2026. Caveat! When this service launches, it will not be driverless at the start. The company expects to pull the human safety operator out of the vehicles in 2027. Also, the term \u201cmicrobus\u201d may be a bit of an overstatement; these vehicles will seat only four.<\/p>\n Waymo<\/strong> and Waze<\/strong> launched a data-sharing pilot program<\/a> that will funnel pothole data collected by robotaxis to a free Waze platform designed for cities. Any city or state (or regular ol\u2019 Waze user) where Waymo operates will be able to access that data as the program expands.<\/p>\n In other Waymo news, the Alphabet-owned company has opened its robotaxi service<\/a> to the public in Nashville. Eleven cities and counting.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tOctober 13-15, 2026<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\nA little bird<\/h2>\n
Deals!<\/h2>\n
![\"money](\"https:\/\/techcrunch.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/money-the-station.png?w=680\")
Notable reads and other tidbits<\/h2>\n
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