Waymo

Guillermo Rauch on Agent-Led Growth and the Software Factory

Guillermo Rauch, founder of Vercel and creator of Socket.IO and Next.js, spoke with a16z’s Gabriel Vasquez about the rise of AI agents and what he calls an “inexhaustible IQ machine.” Rauch described how companies can build a “software factory” that continuously learns and ships improvements, how Vercel consolidated internal automation into a single company-wide agent called V, and how agents already drive product discovery and purchases (what he terms “agent-led growth”). He emphasized that defensibility will come from the systems and verification loops built around models rather than from the models themselves.

Energy Crisis, War, Climate Change Reshape Auto Marketing

MEEDIA's dossier examines how recent macro shocks — an energy-price shock linked to the Iran war, geopolitical tensions and climate change — are changing automotive marketing. The EV market is being pushed by rising energy prices while Chinese manufacturers gain share through aggressive pricing and new communication styles. Industry players cited include Waymo (autonomy), BYD (affordable EVs), and Xpeng (expansion in Germany). Salesforce's Jessica Geutner highlights progress in digitalization and the creation of first‑party data for personalised marketing. New business models such as salary-conversion vehicle financing (compared to Jobrad) and in-car advertising (e.g., BMW’s Spider‑Man campaign) are introducing both opportunities and acceptance/privacy challenges for advertisers, OEMs, publishers and agencies.

Uber adds Zipline drones to Uber Eats

Uber is investing in and partnering with drone-delivery startup Zipline to introduce Zipline drones to the Uber Eats platform, with first deliveries expected by the end of 2026. The companies aim to scale to one million drone deliveries per day by the end of 2029, initially launching in Zipline’s existing markets and expanding to dozens of U.S. cities. The investment amount was not disclosed. The move continues Uber’s strategy of integrating multiple external autonomous and robotic partners onto its platform to accelerate growth for Uber Eats and quick commerce.