Why the World's Biggest Automakers Are Turning to This Company for Self-Driving Technology
Some of the world's leading automakers are all turning to the same company to help bring past the self-driving finish line. Aurora CEO and Co-Founder Chris Urmson joins Cheddar at CES to discuss his firm's newly-announced partnership with Volkswagen Group. He describes his company's goal as providing the "drivers," by way of software, for autonomous vehicles.
The partnership is focused on developing "mobility as a service" initiative in major cities. Urmson describes how Aurora will help Volkswagen Group's fleet of self-driving cars, known as Sedric, connect people in urban communities. He explains how the service initiative will help people with mobility issues of their own, as well as making transportation easier for commuters.
Urmson reveals how his company spent the past year working with Volkswagen Group to integrate its system into the automaker's fleet. He breaks down Aurora's high-pedigree founding team, including himself, a veteran of Google's self-driving initiative, and Sterling Anderson, one of the minds behind the launch of Tesla's Model X.
With the rollout of 5G technology, mobile phone users are experiencing faster device performance. But as the tech becomes more widely available, 5G won't just make our phones operate faster. Digital productivity across the board is expected to rise. Hugh Odom, founder and president of Vertical Consultants, joined Cheddar's "Closing Bell" to talk about his company's predictions for 5G, including more streamlined virtual doctor visits and helping supply chains become more efficient. Odom also talked about the airline industry's request to the Biden administration to delay the wider rollout of 5G, as they said it will interfere with flying safety.
Jurors in the trial against Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes have entered day six of deliberations. Holmes is accused of lying to investors about the functionality of a newly developed blood-testing technology. Andrew George, partner at Baker Botts, joined Cheddar to break down key points in the case and what the jury might be considering during their deliberations. He also noted that the rest of Silicon Valley, including Holmes' business partner, Ramesh "Sunny" Balwani, who is facing identical charges, is closely watching the outcome of deliberations — as it could set the tone for future regulations and Balwani's own trial.
While slumps within the crypto market have typically correlated with major developments, such as China's crypto crackdown or Tesla reversing course on accepting bitcoin, the current slide is coming at a time when the stock market is at or near record levels. Reporter Alex Vuocolo talks about the role of the crypto derivatives market in bitcoin's latest price drop, as well as the future of sustainability in the space.
According to a recent report from T-Mobile, spam call traffic doubled in 2021. The company says so far they have been able to block just 21 billion spam calls for their customers this year. Despite telecom giants blocking these calls, a number of customers continue to receive these spam calls, especially during the holiday season. Founder and President of Vertical Consultants Hugh Odom, joined Cheddar to discuss more.
