Weekly Roundup: Jefferies Tells Investors: Don’t Fear the Autonomous Vehicle Threat to Uber

Jefferies tells investors to buy Uber on AV weakness. San Francisco prepares for four competing robotaxi services. AI-generated food delivery “whistleblower” hoax fools millions with fake desperation score claims. New research reveals the gig economy’s stark divide. Uber unveils Lucid-Nuro robotaxi at CES. We break it all down for you.

Jefferies Tells Investors: Don’t Fear the Autonomous Vehicle Threat to Uber

Source: Investing.com

Investment firm Jefferies is urging investors to buy Uber stock despite recent concerns about robotaxi competition, arguing the threat is overblown in the near term. The stock has dropped 17% since late September due to fears around Waymo’s expansion and Tesla’s AV progress, but Jefferies maintains that autonomous vehicles will have “nearly zero impact on growth through 2027.” Even if Waymo hits its target of 1 million weekly rides by end of 2026, this would represent only 1.2% of US rideshare and create just 0.07%-0.11% headwinds to Uber’s bookings growth in 2026-2027.

• Waymo scaled from 250,000 to 450,000 paid rides per week between April and December, but Jefferies believes even aggressive expansion poses minimal threat to Uber’s 160 million Mobility users in the short term.

• Tesla’s unit economics remain a concern for investors, with Jefferies estimating that even after scaling, Tesla’s robotaxi costs would likely remain “slightly above rideshare,” limiting its ability to compete on price.

• The firm also said Uber’s strategy of building partnerships with multiple AV providers creates “an ecosystem that reduces reliance on any single provider,” positioning the company as a distribution platform that helps emerging AV players scale rather than a competitor.

San Francisco to Become Robotaxi Battleground as Four Operators Prepare to Compete

Source: San Francisco Standard

San Francisco is poised to become the world’s only city with four competing robotaxi services in 2026, as Tesla, Zoox, and Uber prepare to challenge Waymo’s current dominance. Waymo completed millions of rides monthly in 2025 with a 1,000-vehicle fleet and is expanding its Bay Area service area to over 260 miles including freeways, while also planning launches in more than 20 cities worldwide including Tokyo and London. However, residents and experts warn that traffic disruptions may worsen as new entrants face steep learning curves on public roads.

• Our very own ​​Harry Campbell was quoted in the article: “I don’t count the competitors in the same league as Waymo. Waymo is the only true robotaxi in town right now, though I can see that changing in the next year or two.”

• Tesla operates with safety drivers across a larger geographic zone than Waymo but faces significant regulatory hurdles, including a $240 million jury verdict over a fatal 2019 Autopilot crash and California DMV violations for misleading marketing of its “full self-driving” technology.

• Zoox, owned by Amazon and currently offering free rides in parts of San Francisco with about 50 vehicles, plans to launch paid service in late 2026 with purpose-built vehicles that have larger batteries and can spend more time collecting fares without multiple daily charging stops.

• Price competition is unlikely despite four operators entering the market, as the capital-intensive nature of autonomous technology development means companies will prioritize breaking even rather than engaging in price wars, according to industry analysts.

AI-Generated Food Delivery “Whistleblower” Hoax Fools Millions on Reddit

Source: Platformer News

An AI-generated hoax claiming a food delivery platform uses a “desperation score” to exploit drivers went viral on Reddit with 86,000 upvotes and 36 million views on X before eventually being exposed as fake. The post alleged that platforms tag drivers as “high desperation” based on login patterns and acceptance rates, then deliberately withhold high-paying orders from them while routing those orders to casual drivers. A journalist’s investigation revealed that supporting documents were “AI-generated nonsense.”

• The hoax drew on real historical grievances in the gig economy, including DoorDash’s previous theft of driver tips and Uber’s Greyball tool for evading regulators, making the false allegations seem plausible.

• The fake whistleblower initially fooled even an experienced technology reporter by providing documents that closely resembled legitimate AI research papers, demonstrating how AI tools are making disinformation more sophisticated and harder to detect.

• The incident highlights growing challenges for both journalists and platform workers in distinguishing between real exploitation and fabricated claims, as AI-generated content becomes increasingly realistic and plays on legitimate fears about algorithmic manipulation.

Uber Unveils Lucid-Nuro Robotaxi at CES, Plans Late 2026 San Francisco Launch

Source: TechCrunch

Uber revealed its production-ready robotaxi partnership with Lucid Motors and Nuro at CES 2026, based on the luxury Lucid Gravity SUV with integrated cameras, solid-state LiDAR, and radar sensors powered by Nvidia’s Drive AGX Thor computer. The robotaxi is already testing on public roads ahead of a planned commercial launch in San Francisco Bay Area later in 2026, with Uber committed to purchasing 20,000 Lucid EVs following a $300 million investment in the luxury EV maker. The vehicles will feature LED-lit roof “halos” to help riders identify their cars, similar to Waymo’s current system.

• Lucid’s Casa Grande, Arizona factory will integrate the autonomous technology during vehicle assembly rather than requiring post-production retrofitting, saving significant time and money compared to Waymo’s current approach of disassembling and reassembling Jaguar I-Pace SUVs.

• The initial rollout will be modest with approximately 100 vehicles targeting the high-end market, as the Lucid Gravity carries a roughly $100,000 price tag, a strategy that contrasts with the industry’s broader focus on scale and cost reduction.

• This marks Uber’s return to autonomous vehicle operations after shutting down its internal AV program in 2018 following a fatal accident in Arizona, now relying on manufacturing and technology partnerships rather than in-house development.

New Research Reveals Stark Divide in Gig Economy

Source: ADP Research

Analysis of 24 million workers from ADP’s payroll database reveals gig workers represented 27% of all jobs held in 2024, with 1 in 4 workers engaging in some form of gig work during the year. On average, gig workers significantly fewer hours than traditional employees, averaging around 85-88 hours monthly versus 155 for full-time W-2 workers.

• Independent contractors are predominantly male (71%), older, and concentrated in professional services, healthcare, and finance, with nearly 7% earning over $100/hour.

• Temporary gig workers skew younger (43% under age 30) and are overrepresented in leisure, hospitality, and administrative roles with lower wages and less job security.

• Since 2021, independent contractor positions have grown 50% while temporary employment has declined since 2023, suggesting structural shifts in how companies deploy flexible labor.

QUICK HITS

• RSG Contributor Kian put together a great video, breaking down the best and worst parts of DoorDash, Uber, Amazon Flex, and Instacart in 2026. – RSG YouTube

• China’s State Council has launched an antitrust investigation into online food delivery platforms over concerns that subsidy-driven price wars are distorting the economy and creating unsustainable competition. – Bloomberg

• Rideshare drivers in Philadelphia share their advice on what is necessary to successfully gig work. – Philadelphia Inquirer

• Want to learn more about the robotaxi industry? Subscribe to The Driverless Digest, our new newsletter and podcast dedicated to the future of autonomous vehicles.

Must Listen Or Watch RSG Content

Here are this week’s featured podcast episode and YouTube videos:

• RSG268: Uber’s NEXT Big Move? Taxis!

• Why Gig Workers Stay Broke (And How to Break the Cycle)

• Is Lyft Intimidating Drivers Who BEAT The Algorithm??

• Why Are Rideshare Companies Making More Than Drivers?

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