The battle in self-driving technology is revving up, and some believe it's now a competition between Silicon Valley and the Motor City of Detroit. Tim Higgins, Tech & Auto Reporter at the Wall Street Journal, and Joel Feder, Interactive Content Manager at Motor Authority, join Cheddar to give their predictions on the future of the auto industry.
Higgins actually moved from Detroit to Silicon Valley because it started becoming home to more and more automakers. German, Japanese, and American companies all have offices in the Golden State fighting for talent. He discusses how partnerships with Volkswagen and Hyundai could catapult tech start-up Aurora into the self-driving winner's lane.
Feder points out that weather has a huge impact on the testing of this self-driving technology. He believes that, since Detroit sees more snow and harsher conditions, it would be a great place for cars to test on the road.
Character design studio Superplastic recently raised $20 million in a Series A round. Paul Budnitz, founder and CEO of Superplastic, joined Cheddar News to discuss the financing and a new collaboration with Amazon to develop a new series.
A Republican-led House panel voted to advance a bill that would give President Joe Biden the power to ban TikTok. Chris Pierson, the founder and CEO of BlackCloak, joined Cheddar News to discuss how the process could affect other businesses.