Waymo Opens Orlando Service, But Who Will Take Mickey Mouse to the Parks?

Waymo's rapid expansion into Miami and Orlando marks a pivotal moment in the race for autonomous mobility—but Disney World remains off-limits, not due to technical limitations, but because of corporate strategy. Grayson and Walt debate whether Waymo should partner with Disney or if a new player like Glideways—a dedicated, themed autonomous transit system—could better serve the parks by keeping riders within Disney’s controlled ecosystem. The conversation pivots to Uber’s massive $13 billion bet on autonomy through investments in Lucid, Rivian, and Nuro, revealing a capital-intensive future where platform owners may need to own the fleet. They also warn that agentic AI could disintermediate ride-hailing apps by automating ride sourcing, rendering Uber and Lyft’s current demand aggregation obsolete. Meanwhile, international progress is accelerating: London moves toward driver-out testing, Japan aims for 25% market share by 2030, and Tesla’s FSD approval in Amsterdam could spark broader European adoption. The episode closes with a stark reminder: while technology advances, regulation remains the biggest bottleneck—Maryland’s failure to pass legislation blocks Waymo in Baltimore for now, proving politics still trumps progress.