WEBVTT - Zoox CEO Aicha Evans 0:00:00.280 --> 0:00:03.040 So this is a lab. Yeah, this is uh, the 0:00:03.279 --> 0:00:07.480 robot taxi of flex Line where they come in. First, 0:00:07.520 --> 0:00:09.840 it's just a body, that's what I call it, the 0:00:09.880 --> 0:00:13.000 body of the vehicle, and then lots of pieces that 0:00:13.200 --> 0:00:17.440 have to be assembled, put together, tested. Now I'm told 0:00:17.440 --> 0:00:19.960 you're not building a quote unquote car. No, I'm not. 0:00:20.120 --> 0:00:21.880 Does this look like a car to you. Don't say 0:00:21.920 --> 0:00:25.760 the word car. Don't say the words car. It's a vehicle, Yeah, 0:00:25.800 --> 0:00:29.400 a transportation vehicle. Will sell you a ride in this vehicle. 0:00:29.520 --> 0:00:35.760 Can we get in? Of course you can. All right there, 0:00:35.800 --> 0:00:40.320 it is okay, so comfortable. That's what we want. We 0:00:40.320 --> 0:00:42.159 don't want you to think about driving. This is why 0:00:42.200 --> 0:00:46.159 it's not a car. Hi. Everyone, I'm Emily Chang and 0:00:46.200 --> 0:00:48.479 welcome to the latest edition of Bloomberg Studio. At one 0:00:48.479 --> 0:00:51.479 point out today, we're taking you to the Zoo's factory 0:00:51.479 --> 0:00:54.960 floor in Fremont, California, where they believe they're building the 0:00:55.000 --> 0:01:02.959 future of transportation. You're listening to CEO Aisha Evans, one 0:01:02.960 --> 0:01:05.960 of the top ranking black women in Silicon Valley who 0:01:05.959 --> 0:01:09.399 grew up in Senegal. After twelve years working her way 0:01:09.480 --> 0:01:11.400 up to the top ranks at Intel, she took a 0:01:11.440 --> 0:01:13.959 leap into the startup world to join Zooks with a 0:01:14.040 --> 0:01:17.920 goal to transform ride hailing as we know it. Just 0:01:18.040 --> 0:01:20.600 a year later, she sold the company to Amazon for 0:01:20.760 --> 0:01:24.360 one point two billion dollars. How does Zouks fit into 0:01:24.400 --> 0:01:27.559 the future of ride hailing and Amazon? Could a Zooks 0:01:27.560 --> 0:01:30.840 deliver your Amazon packages one day? Here's Evans view of 0:01:30.880 --> 0:01:34.000 the road ahead on this episode of Bloomberg Studio. One 0:01:34.040 --> 0:01:36.920 point out, I should have so great to be here 0:01:36.959 --> 0:01:38.720 with you. Thank you for coming and thank you for 0:01:38.760 --> 0:01:43.200 having me. You came to Zooks as CEO and over 0:01:43.240 --> 0:01:46.720 from Intel, and just a year later you sold it 0:01:46.800 --> 0:01:49.480 to Amazon. How did that happen so quickly? It was 0:01:49.520 --> 0:01:53.280 a journey. Um, it takes a lot of capital to 0:01:53.640 --> 0:01:56.600 um takes this endeavor all the way. It's a it's 0:01:56.640 --> 0:01:59.480 a worthy one. And um, when we looked at the 0:01:59.520 --> 0:02:02.440 ecosis done, when we looked at everything that was going around, 0:02:02.560 --> 0:02:04.880 we had to decide whether to stay private or whether 0:02:04.960 --> 0:02:08.200 to get a long term oriented partner like some of 0:02:08.200 --> 0:02:12.760 our fellow travelers. And then the pandemic hit. That brought 0:02:12.840 --> 0:02:15.480 a lot of clarity, shall we say. And so the 0:02:15.480 --> 0:02:18.880 opportunity presented itself and we went for it wise, Amazon 0:02:18.960 --> 0:02:24.519 the right fit. First of all, they're a great company. Uh. 0:02:24.560 --> 0:02:30.160 They have created both octogonal and adjacent multibillion dollar businesses. 0:02:30.919 --> 0:02:35.080 They are long term oriented and very purpose driven, so 0:02:35.919 --> 0:02:39.960 that matched our ambitions. They've never owned a car company, though, Yeah, 0:02:40.040 --> 0:02:42.520 but we're not a car company exactly. We're a right 0:02:42.560 --> 0:02:45.960 hailing company. Talk to me a little bit about how 0:02:46.040 --> 0:02:48.960 you got to Silicon Valley. Your story is not the 0:02:49.000 --> 0:02:51.960 story of a typical tex EO like Jeff Bezos or 0:02:52.240 --> 0:02:56.640 Eddie Jassy. Tell us about your upbringing. I was born 0:02:56.680 --> 0:03:00.680 in Senegal, West Africa. Uh. My parents, I thanked them 0:03:00.720 --> 0:03:04.440 to this day. UH sort of made school um an 0:03:04.480 --> 0:03:08.919 implicit expectation. It was an up for discussion. Very early on. 0:03:09.000 --> 0:03:13.320 I showed an aptitude and interest uh in math, physics, 0:03:13.720 --> 0:03:17.000 not so much in biology and in building things. Uh. 0:03:17.000 --> 0:03:20.640 And so they cultivated that. And then I bounced back 0:03:20.680 --> 0:03:24.440 between Paris and UH and Senegal, learned a lot about 0:03:25.040 --> 0:03:28.560 what technology does to people's lives, uh, and what it 0:03:28.639 --> 0:03:32.760 makes possible. I literally had a contrast every few months. 0:03:32.880 --> 0:03:37.080 And so computers were coming online, not the Internet, but 0:03:37.360 --> 0:03:40.400 what the Internet was going to make possible was also 0:03:40.520 --> 0:03:43.360 coming online. The US was to the place to be 0:03:44.120 --> 0:03:48.560 to study that. Then basically um got jobs in the 0:03:48.600 --> 0:03:53.960 industry and eventually ended up at Intel in Importland. Through 0:03:54.040 --> 0:03:58.440 that started interfacing with Silicon Valley, and then zooks came along. 0:03:58.640 --> 0:04:00.800 I heard a story about you kick a phone in 0:04:00.880 --> 0:04:03.920 order to talk to your friends long distance. Did that 0:04:03.960 --> 0:04:06.320 really happen? Oh? Yeah I did. I always had a 0:04:06.360 --> 0:04:10.040 double life a little bit in terms of family friends 0:04:10.040 --> 0:04:13.160 in different ecosystems. I still do to this day. And 0:04:13.280 --> 0:04:19.359 so back then it was landlines, it was expensive and 0:04:19.440 --> 0:04:22.760 my dad isn't was intellcommunications, so if he was not confused, 0:04:23.000 --> 0:04:25.279 so we had a rotary phone, I'm dating myself and 0:04:25.360 --> 0:04:28.880 he locked it, but obviously I figured out how to 0:04:28.920 --> 0:04:31.960 still make the phone calls. Who were role models back there. 0:04:32.560 --> 0:04:36.320 I mean, it's so hard for young people, especially young girls, 0:04:36.520 --> 0:04:40.719 to see themselves in the tech industry. Um Mary Curry 0:04:41.600 --> 0:04:46.240 was and still is a role model. UM. In France, 0:04:46.240 --> 0:04:49.360 you study philosophy and a lot of the philosophers are 0:04:49.400 --> 0:04:53.840 also mathematicians, so they will role model. And they also 0:04:53.839 --> 0:04:56.000 forced you to think. You worked your way up to 0:04:56.440 --> 0:04:59.960 chief strategy officer at Intel, and it was a difficult 0:05:00.080 --> 0:05:03.960 time for Intel. Intel was kind of losing its way. 0:05:04.080 --> 0:05:06.440 What was it like working there at that time? It 0:05:06.520 --> 0:05:10.039 was a difficult time in the sense that anytime you're successful, 0:05:10.120 --> 0:05:12.960 you earned the opportunity to talk about what's the next 0:05:12.960 --> 0:05:14.839 phase of the journey? And I was in the middle 0:05:14.880 --> 0:05:18.000 of that. But it was also fun. I learned a lot. 0:05:18.279 --> 0:05:21.200 What was it like going from an established brand name, 0:05:21.680 --> 0:05:25.920 storied tech company like Intel to a startup like Zooks. 0:05:26.320 --> 0:05:30.320 I assume there are major differences in culture and execution there. 0:05:31.040 --> 0:05:35.720 It was quite an awakening. Uh so at Intel, I 0:05:35.760 --> 0:05:38.520 was a little bit known as uh, not a rebel, 0:05:38.640 --> 0:05:42.680 but um somebody who questioned things and who maybe did 0:05:42.720 --> 0:05:44.880 the normal Oh my gosh, you know was too slow? 0:05:45.080 --> 0:05:47.480 Is this or that or the other? An agitator of sorts, 0:05:47.520 --> 0:05:49.960 an agitator, yes, a change agents. I think it is 0:05:50.000 --> 0:05:53.920 the elegant way of putting it. And so al right, 0:05:53.960 --> 0:05:57.280 when I arrived at zos, yes, it was fast. Uh 0:05:57.640 --> 0:06:00.160 it was. We were making decisions quickly. But from an 0:06:00.160 --> 0:06:04.640 infrastructure standpoint with I was like, whoa, maybe there's a 0:06:04.640 --> 0:06:08.520 reason for infrastructure and so, but I embrace the journey 0:06:08.520 --> 0:06:10.800 and said, okay, we have to build one. When you're 0:06:10.839 --> 0:06:15.040 doing what we're doing Uh, it's not just about the technology. 0:06:15.200 --> 0:06:18.160 You have to think about the steps to get into market. 0:06:18.560 --> 0:06:21.640 You also have to think about building the company so 0:06:21.680 --> 0:06:24.159 that it's ready when you scale. If you wait until 0:06:24.200 --> 0:06:27.200 you need to scale to actually build the infrastructure, bad 0:06:27.240 --> 0:06:31.799 things happen. What's it like being a leading black female 0:06:31.839 --> 0:06:39.320 executive in such a white male industry. It depends. I 0:06:39.360 --> 0:06:42.520 don't wake up in the morning thinking I'm that. I 0:06:42.560 --> 0:06:44.920 wake up in the morning thinking I'm Asha. I've got 0:06:44.960 --> 0:06:48.600 stuff to do, meetings, decisions to make, kids to take 0:06:48.640 --> 0:06:53.719 care of, making sure then is ready. Obviously in the moment, 0:06:53.839 --> 0:06:56.440 sometimes I think about it because you look around. But 0:06:56.520 --> 0:06:59.840 I try and turn it into an opportunity because that 0:07:00.000 --> 0:07:02.040 it's just how I have one on ones with myself 0:07:02.080 --> 0:07:03.800 and how you think about it and how you show 0:07:03.880 --> 0:07:06.320 up it's important. So I try and tell myself that 0:07:06.360 --> 0:07:08.680 means that I'm bringing a perspective that nobody else has 0:07:09.760 --> 0:07:13.240 and that's additive. And then I try and also figure 0:07:13.280 --> 0:07:15.520 out a way to have what I call an inclusive 0:07:15.640 --> 0:07:18.240 environment where I see people's point of view and they 0:07:18.280 --> 0:07:21.040 see mine. H and I try not to get angry 0:07:21.640 --> 0:07:25.880 when it manifests itself in annoying ways. What are the 0:07:25.960 --> 0:07:29.280 obstacles that you've overcome to get here. I think that 0:07:29.440 --> 0:07:33.720 often people assume, both from a gender and uh sort 0:07:33.720 --> 0:07:38.360 of ethnicity standpoint, that it's not normal to be here, 0:07:38.400 --> 0:07:42.119 and therefore maybe you've got a discount, when it's often 0:07:42.160 --> 0:07:46.760 the opposite. You have to try much harder than than others. 0:07:47.400 --> 0:07:51.120 I've had to work on sort of how I receive 0:07:51.240 --> 0:07:54.440 information when or how I really I ideal with behaviors 0:07:54.440 --> 0:07:57.320 that are not acceptable and sort of learn when you 0:07:57.360 --> 0:08:00.880 take the high road. I've had to uh find my 0:08:01.000 --> 0:08:03.360 voice and not be afraid of it and use it. 0:08:03.480 --> 0:08:07.040 Are you pleased with the change you've seen or has 0:08:07.040 --> 0:08:09.920 it not changed fast enough? I can't be pleased. I mean, 0:08:09.960 --> 0:08:13.320 I'm pleased that there is change, but absolutely not. We 0:08:13.400 --> 0:08:15.960 have to do a lot more as an industry. Why 0:08:16.040 --> 0:08:19.000 isn't it changing faster? Why don't we see more people 0:08:19.040 --> 0:08:21.440 like you in positions of power? Well, I think that's 0:08:21.440 --> 0:08:25.080 a complicated answer. I think it starts very early on. 0:08:25.400 --> 0:08:28.480 I have a son who participates in Lego robotics, and 0:08:28.720 --> 0:08:31.280 we had some observations and kids are what seven eight 0:08:31.680 --> 0:08:35.240 and you already see differences. I think also from a 0:08:35.320 --> 0:08:41.000 social standpoint around middle school when there's a transition for girls, 0:08:41.160 --> 0:08:45.280 maybe having a support system to stay in math, demystifying it, 0:08:45.640 --> 0:08:49.200 teaching it differently. And then as people come up the ranks, 0:08:49.600 --> 0:08:52.120 making sure, especially for women, making sure that we have 0:08:52.160 --> 0:08:55.880 a support system around them so they can traverse through 0:08:56.000 --> 0:08:59.120 some of the some of the phases like for example, 0:08:59.240 --> 0:09:02.600 marriage and our birth and so on. You're building a 0:09:02.679 --> 0:09:05.200 ride hailing service, not a car. Why is it important 0:09:05.240 --> 0:09:07.720 to have a woman in the room, people of different 0:09:07.760 --> 0:09:10.160 races in the room. I'll give you a story. We 0:09:10.160 --> 0:09:13.559 were discussing pick up and drop off, and um, I'm 0:09:13.600 --> 0:09:16.920 the only woman in the room. Yes, I'm always in 0:09:17.040 --> 0:09:20.120 jeans and what have you, but occasionally I dressed up 0:09:20.160 --> 0:09:23.040 and have high heels on. We're wearing high heels today. Yep. 0:09:23.120 --> 0:09:26.199 I made a comment when you arrived, right, and so 0:09:26.360 --> 0:09:28.800 I was like, okay, we have to think about it 0:09:28.840 --> 0:09:32.200 from that standpoint, because if we're giving right to customers 0:09:32.640 --> 0:09:35.560 in San Francisco, for example, on a Friday evening, on 0:09:35.600 --> 0:09:39.280 a Saturday evening, maybe some folks have heels on, and 0:09:39.320 --> 0:09:41.520 maybe we need to think about the pick up rages 0:09:42.280 --> 0:09:45.440 because expecting them to go up hills in you know, 0:09:45.520 --> 0:09:54.960 high heels, probably not a good idea coming up. How 0:09:55.000 --> 0:09:58.440 does zooks out maneuver Cruise and weymo in the autonomous 0:09:58.520 --> 0:10:09.640 ride hailing race. We'll be right back. Let's talk about 0:10:09.640 --> 0:10:14.079 the competition. What is Zooks's edge over GMS crews, Google's 0:10:14.240 --> 0:10:17.400 way now, and if you could level with us, what's 0:10:17.400 --> 0:10:19.720 their edge over Zooks. I look at them a little 0:10:19.760 --> 0:10:23.200 bit like fellow travelers. Yes, we competitors because we're in 0:10:23.240 --> 0:10:26.280 the same space and we're going after some of the 0:10:26.360 --> 0:10:29.760 same things. But this is a big industry. It's not 0:10:29.800 --> 0:10:31.679 going to be a winner take off. Second, it's a 0:10:31.720 --> 0:10:36.320 safety critical product and therefore I think it's important to 0:10:36.400 --> 0:10:39.360 lay that groundwork. Now. Having said that, I would say 0:10:39.440 --> 0:10:42.600 one of the big differences is that we are going 0:10:42.720 --> 0:10:46.719 straight to what we think is the ideal product to 0:10:46.920 --> 0:10:50.720 provide rights to customers. We are not here to enhance 0:10:50.760 --> 0:10:54.040 your driving experience. We don't even want you to think 0:10:54.080 --> 0:10:57.440 about driving. So the customer experience is built in such 0:10:57.480 --> 0:11:00.240 a way that you're here to be transported. You have 0:11:00.280 --> 0:11:02.360 an app which you already know how to do today. 0:11:02.640 --> 0:11:04.000 You have an app where you say I want to 0:11:04.000 --> 0:11:06.559 go from point A to point B, especially in dense 0:11:06.679 --> 0:11:12.040 urban environments, think downtown San Francisco, and we show up 0:11:12.360 --> 0:11:15.760 and we pick you up sliding doors, you step in 0:11:15.840 --> 0:11:21.200 a little bit London cab inspired. We don't ascribe to 0:11:21.280 --> 0:11:25.760 taking a car that was architected designed for a human 0:11:25.880 --> 0:11:29.280 driver and then adding sensors and compute to it in 0:11:29.400 --> 0:11:33.120 order to make it fully autonomous. What about Tesla which 0:11:33.200 --> 0:11:37.160 is right down the street. Our Tesla and Elon must competition, 0:11:38.000 --> 0:11:41.680 fellow travelers, this is Silicon Valley. We are, you know, 0:11:41.720 --> 0:11:45.319 paid tribute to disruptors. Having said that, we're not exactly 0:11:45.320 --> 0:11:48.240 in the same business. We don't sell a car to people. 0:11:48.400 --> 0:11:51.400 We saw a right to people. Our customers are not drivers. 0:11:51.520 --> 0:11:54.160 There are writers, and therefore we use the same types 0:11:54.200 --> 0:11:57.120 of technologies, but they are in the car selling business. 0:11:57.440 --> 0:12:03.200 So how does Dukes fit into the future of Amazon, Well, 0:12:03.240 --> 0:12:05.800 that story is yet to be written. First of all, 0:12:05.880 --> 0:12:08.680 we uh, we hope to deliver on the promise of 0:12:08.960 --> 0:12:12.520 a new segment and uh sort of a big business 0:12:12.880 --> 0:12:15.840 uh and be one of those in the tradition of 0:12:15.840 --> 0:12:19.200 of Amazon. We know there's a world of possibilities, but 0:12:19.360 --> 0:12:21.600 I tell everybody, we first have to earn it right 0:12:21.760 --> 0:12:25.920 before we talk about sort of synergies and possibilities and 0:12:25.960 --> 0:12:29.520 opportunities together. Zero times anything is still zero and it 0:12:29.559 --> 0:12:31.640 will be for a long time. So we're focusing on 0:12:31.640 --> 0:12:35.000 building our business, getting to market, and then there's a 0:12:35.120 --> 0:12:37.920 myriad of possibilities of things we could do together. Zoo's 0:12:37.960 --> 0:12:40.040 gonna be dropping off my boxes? Is that what I 0:12:40.040 --> 0:12:43.480 should expect potentially, if that's the right thing to do 0:12:43.559 --> 0:12:45.400 and if it makes sense to do so. But first 0:12:45.400 --> 0:12:47.200 we're going to make sure to take you everywhere you 0:12:47.240 --> 0:12:50.520 need to go without having to worry about parking, having 0:12:50.520 --> 0:12:53.320 a car and so on. What's am I having Amazon 0:12:53.400 --> 0:12:57.800 as your boss? It's been good. We're an independent subsidiary 0:12:58.400 --> 0:13:01.480 of of Amazon, so yeah, they are involved. We agree 0:13:01.480 --> 0:13:03.400 on what's going to happen, why it's going to happen. 0:13:03.520 --> 0:13:05.520 How often did you talk to Jeff Bezos or do 0:13:05.600 --> 0:13:10.560 you talk to Andy Jassey or maybe it's Dave limp Um. 0:13:10.640 --> 0:13:13.120 I don't talk to them that often. I mean we 0:13:13.240 --> 0:13:17.120 have a monthly business review or quality business review, but no, 0:13:17.320 --> 0:13:19.200 it's not like I'm besties with them and we're on 0:13:19.240 --> 0:13:22.240 the phone and wrapping and channing. Now, well, you must 0:13:22.240 --> 0:13:25.760 know what their expectations are. What is Amazon expecting of 0:13:25.840 --> 0:13:29.600 zoos execute get to market scale, and do you have 0:13:29.679 --> 0:13:33.880 the funding to do that? GM? Google very well funded 0:13:34.120 --> 0:13:37.240 competitors or fellow travelers. As you say, are you getting 0:13:37.240 --> 0:13:40.319 what you need? Yes? More than what I need. I'm 0:13:40.320 --> 0:13:43.520 funding is not something I even worry about. So what's 0:13:43.520 --> 0:13:45.880 it like to operate in that environment where money is 0:13:45.880 --> 0:13:49.199 not an issue? Well, I mean you have to be careful, 0:13:49.320 --> 0:13:51.120 right because you also don't want to be a drunken 0:13:51.160 --> 0:13:54.080 sailor and be like, oh now I have You still 0:13:54.080 --> 0:13:56.960 have to be a very disciplined You have to manage 0:13:57.000 --> 0:13:59.760 the phases of the business. We're like, okay, how do 0:13:59.800 --> 0:14:02.040 we execute? How do we make our mouthstones? How do 0:14:02.080 --> 0:14:05.360 we get to market where things organized properly? How do 0:14:05.440 --> 0:14:08.560 we hire? How do we retain and so on and 0:14:08.600 --> 0:14:11.280 so forth? How do we stay mission driven? The public 0:14:11.320 --> 0:14:13.960 seems to have lost interest in waiting around for self 0:14:14.080 --> 0:14:16.840 driving cars. I wrote in Google self Driving Car in 0:14:18.400 --> 0:14:21.880 and I'm still waiting to be able to buy or 0:14:22.000 --> 0:14:25.560 just ride a self driving car on demand? Why is 0:14:25.560 --> 0:14:28.680 it taking so long? I think? In self driving, first 0:14:28.680 --> 0:14:33.760 of all, the opportunity is so clear, um, the so 0:14:33.920 --> 0:14:37.520 the beach is so broad. We forgot that bigges things 0:14:37.560 --> 0:14:41.000 do start small. One second, it's a hard problem to solve. 0:14:41.800 --> 0:14:44.680 We talk a lot about safety, uh and we talked 0:14:44.960 --> 0:14:47.480 talk a lot about human error when it comes to driving, 0:14:47.840 --> 0:14:50.280 but we also forget that collectively, at least in the 0:14:50.360 --> 0:14:54.440 United States of America, humans collectively drive a hundred million 0:14:54.520 --> 0:14:59.760 miles before having a fatality. That's a lot of mouths. 0:14:59.760 --> 0:15:02.680 So humans are also pretty good. And the thing humans 0:15:02.800 --> 0:15:05.840 are good at, which is hand I call it exception handling. 0:15:06.880 --> 0:15:10.000 We all know how to drive. If we're all fully autonomous, 0:15:10.160 --> 0:15:13.400 would be deployed already. But we're driving amongst human and 0:15:13.440 --> 0:15:16.120 you have to deal with so many little scenarios. There 0:15:16.120 --> 0:15:18.440 are so many things that you've been learning about driving 0:15:18.520 --> 0:15:23.960 since births and codifying that using AI sensors and computers 0:15:24.080 --> 0:15:26.200 is turning out to be a lot harder. Last, but 0:15:26.280 --> 0:15:29.320 not least, it's a safety critical system. None of us 0:15:29.920 --> 0:15:34.600 should deploy until unless we have closed loop evidence that 0:15:34.680 --> 0:15:36.680 we're safe. So what is the a I need to 0:15:36.720 --> 0:15:39.040 learn how to do at this point? What are the 0:15:39.120 --> 0:15:41.800 challenges left to solve? It needs to know how to 0:15:41.880 --> 0:15:45.840 deal with unexpected things as they as they happen, And 0:15:45.960 --> 0:15:48.480 is that possible that it can. Can I learn that? 0:15:48.760 --> 0:15:50.920 Of course it's possible. I mean I'm one of I'm 0:15:50.920 --> 0:15:54.040 an optimist when it comes to technology. I started in wireless, 0:15:54.160 --> 0:15:56.400 so you have to think from switchboards all the way 0:15:56.440 --> 0:16:00.240 to today. Quite a journey. Um, I'm fascinated by a 0:16:00.800 --> 0:16:04.560 flying airplanes. The right brothers. If they were trying to 0:16:04.600 --> 0:16:07.120 solve what is being sold in aviation today, they wouldn't 0:16:07.160 --> 0:16:09.960 have tried. We we just let let it marinate, let 0:16:09.960 --> 0:16:13.600 it take its time. The algorithms will get better. Uh, 0:16:13.840 --> 0:16:17.240 compute gets better all the time, censors get better all 0:16:17.280 --> 0:16:21.040 the time. It will happen. What about security challenges. We've 0:16:21.040 --> 0:16:24.040 reported on how Tesla's have been hacked. So you have 0:16:24.080 --> 0:16:27.440 to design security in your into your product from the beginning. 0:16:27.640 --> 0:16:31.000 And for us, we look at all the scenarios of 0:16:31.040 --> 0:16:34.440 what could happen from the security standpoint. Now, these these 0:16:34.520 --> 0:16:37.560 robots or these robot taxes are also recording all the time, 0:16:38.000 --> 0:16:40.520 so they sort of know what's happening inside of them 0:16:40.560 --> 0:16:42.320 and around them. So that gives us a little bit 0:16:42.320 --> 0:16:44.680 of a of an edge. And then you look at access. 0:16:44.760 --> 0:16:47.440 But this is something you just have to pay attention 0:16:47.520 --> 0:16:50.560 to understand what's going on in that world and make 0:16:50.600 --> 0:17:02.760 sure that you design against it still to come. Aisha 0:17:02.840 --> 0:17:06.880 Evans shares her outlook for Zoux's future and her favorite 0:17:06.880 --> 0:17:20.080 guilty pleasure. How many rights have you taken? A lot? Actually, 0:17:20.119 --> 0:17:22.040 it's not fair, right, I take a lot of rights, 0:17:22.480 --> 0:17:25.600 both in our L three testing fleet as well as 0:17:25.880 --> 0:17:28.800 in the ground up robotaxi. So when you take a ride, 0:17:29.160 --> 0:17:34.640 what's your report like generally afterwards? Well, okay, so two 0:17:34.680 --> 0:17:37.080 different things on the test fleet because and this is 0:17:37.080 --> 0:17:40.320 a big difference between us and our fellow travelers. I 0:17:40.359 --> 0:17:44.120 mean our L three fleet, the Toyota Highlanders that are 0:17:44.119 --> 0:17:47.840 outfitted with the same sensor, architectural placement and compute. They 0:17:47.840 --> 0:17:52.160 are purely engineering test vehicles. So when I it's called 0:17:52.240 --> 0:17:55.199 drive review. When I take a ride, it is with 0:17:55.440 --> 0:17:59.080 understanding what progress we're making, what issues were still having. 0:17:59.080 --> 0:18:02.639 I'm fascinated the scenarios we can't handle, how fast was 0:18:02.680 --> 0:18:05.080 teleopts able to step in, and so on and so forth. 0:18:05.119 --> 0:18:07.080 So then I have a long report and the app 0:18:07.119 --> 0:18:09.719 and this and that. When I'm in the robot taxi, 0:18:10.240 --> 0:18:14.600 it's more like I'm excited. I'm usually giggly. Uh. And 0:18:14.640 --> 0:18:17.800 then after five minutes on board and I'm on my device, 0:18:17.840 --> 0:18:20.159 which is what you want? How is it navigating supply 0:18:20.240 --> 0:18:24.000 chain challenges? Has the chip crisis impacted you? Yes, it has, 0:18:24.080 --> 0:18:27.440 It's impacted everybody. Um. Look, first of all, some things 0:18:27.440 --> 0:18:30.560 are just more expensive than they should be. Uh. Second, 0:18:30.560 --> 0:18:33.159 but you accept that it's the same for everybody. You 0:18:33.160 --> 0:18:37.000 have to get a lot more crisp around your needs 0:18:37.040 --> 0:18:41.160 because lead times are longer. And uh, that's really when 0:18:41.200 --> 0:18:43.399 it pays off to have had a good relationship with 0:18:43.440 --> 0:18:46.399 your suppliers and treated them as partners so you can 0:18:46.400 --> 0:18:49.720 talk about your problem statement and arrived to solutions. But 0:18:49.960 --> 0:18:52.840 it hasn't like slowed us down. It's just been an 0:18:52.840 --> 0:18:56.200 extra vector to manage buber and lifts. Seemed like they 0:18:56.240 --> 0:19:01.399 would be obvious partners, could be talk to them. We 0:19:01.600 --> 0:19:04.520 in this industry, there are no secrets, and we're all friends. 0:19:04.600 --> 0:19:06.960 We all talked to each other at some level on 0:19:07.040 --> 0:19:09.400 another so yes, we all have talked to each other. 0:19:09.560 --> 0:19:12.399 Who do you imagine would be your first customers? Well, 0:19:12.440 --> 0:19:14.840 first of all, Las Vegas. We've been public that that's 0:19:15.440 --> 0:19:18.880 our our first lunge. I call it a sort of affectionately, 0:19:19.560 --> 0:19:23.399 a one street dance urban environment. How's that with a 0:19:23.440 --> 0:19:26.760 lot of demand. Uh And then we really think that 0:19:26.880 --> 0:19:30.480 in starting at least at the beginning, big cities that 0:19:30.560 --> 0:19:35.040 have a very dense, uh urban sort of landscape where 0:19:35.080 --> 0:19:37.240 people are going to work, people are going to museums, 0:19:37.280 --> 0:19:39.680 people are going to restaurants, they don't want to worry 0:19:39.680 --> 0:19:42.760 about parking, we think that will be the first customer. 0:19:42.920 --> 0:19:46.080 So commercialization is on the horizon in Las Vegas and 0:19:46.119 --> 0:19:48.520 also San Francisco that would be next. How do you 0:19:48.560 --> 0:19:52.200 stay motivated on that road to commercialization given that there 0:19:52.240 --> 0:19:54.960 are still, as you say, these hard problems to solve, 0:19:55.600 --> 0:20:01.480 because every day literally either something happens in terms of progress, 0:20:01.880 --> 0:20:04.119 and it's really important to not just look at the 0:20:04.240 --> 0:20:08.000 ultimate success. But I call it like kind of along 0:20:08.040 --> 0:20:10.919 the way, the little celebration. I mean even when I 0:20:10.920 --> 0:20:13.400 do drive review, yes I have a long list or 0:20:13.640 --> 0:20:15.879 you know, what about this? What about that? But the 0:20:15.960 --> 0:20:19.239 vehicle will do something new or something awesome, and you're like, 0:20:19.240 --> 0:20:22.600 oh my gosh, you go awesome. So there are so 0:20:22.640 --> 0:20:26.080 many things that happen on a daily basis, weekly basis 0:20:26.320 --> 0:20:29.800 that you see advancement. I talk it's like climbing, right, 0:20:30.680 --> 0:20:33.600 It's like you get to a certain element or certain place. 0:20:34.080 --> 0:20:37.320 You appreciate the journey, You turn around, you look down, 0:20:37.440 --> 0:20:39.120 you see what you've done, and you're like, all right, 0:20:39.359 --> 0:20:41.840 let's go for the next week. So as you put 0:20:41.880 --> 0:20:45.280 points on the board, what does a sha Evans see 0:20:45.359 --> 0:20:48.240 as the future of zoos? Do you see a global 0:20:48.760 --> 0:20:53.000 mobility giant or do you see something more modest? I 0:20:53.240 --> 0:20:57.359 see I want and I hope to lay the foundation 0:20:57.480 --> 0:21:00.960 for a global mobility giant with our about human being 0:21:01.200 --> 0:21:07.440 need transportation everywhere. It opens up access to economic mobility, 0:21:07.640 --> 0:21:11.440 it opens up access to knowledge, it opens up access 0:21:11.480 --> 0:21:16.600 to inclusion, uh not to mention safety, the environment and 0:21:16.640 --> 0:21:20.360 frankly humans, which is too valuable to spend. Also four 0:21:20.440 --> 0:21:23.920 hundred billion hours worldwide driving and we think that this 0:21:24.000 --> 0:21:27.359 is at the center of that puzzle. So that is 0:21:27.400 --> 0:21:29.920 the goal. All right, so we're gonna do this is 0:21:29.920 --> 0:21:33.120 a little rapid fire section now. Um so just quick 0:21:33.160 --> 0:21:37.200 answers um what a zooks stand for? The word zooks 0:21:37.320 --> 0:21:41.840 is basically a marine um uh sort of species that 0:21:42.000 --> 0:21:46.000 is solar powered and self moving in the ocean. Interesting. 0:21:46.800 --> 0:21:51.040 Best piece of advice for your twenties, take a shell pill. 0:21:51.080 --> 0:21:55.960 It'll be okay. What about your forties? Enjoy the journey 0:21:56.040 --> 0:22:00.800 you've made it. Um. I hear you're under restaurant at 0:22:00.840 --> 0:22:03.399 some point. Is that true? I confuse the love of 0:22:03.400 --> 0:22:06.400 cooking and running a restaurant. What's your favorite thing to cook? 0:22:07.160 --> 0:22:13.840 Chebujin which is a Senegalese dish. Biggest guilty pleasure? Trashy books? 0:22:14.840 --> 0:22:20.760 What bucks not telling? Um? Speaking of fellow travelers, what's 0:22:20.760 --> 0:22:25.960 your favorite travel destination? Hawaii? Me too? Which island Hawaii? 0:22:26.840 --> 0:22:30.080 I'm from Hawaii, Kauai? All the way last TV show 0:22:30.119 --> 0:22:33.040 you binged? I'm in the middle of it. A bridgeton. 0:22:33.960 --> 0:22:37.359 What's your view on work life integration? I don't use 0:22:37.400 --> 0:22:41.679 the word balance, work life choices, setting expectations on all sides. 0:22:41.880 --> 0:22:45.040 How do your kids fit into your life? They are everything? 0:22:45.359 --> 0:22:48.160 They are the beginning and the end. Our driver list 0:22:48.160 --> 0:22:51.280 future is always right around the corner or ten years away. 0:22:51.440 --> 0:22:53.960 Give us a realistic timeline. When can we ride in 0:22:53.960 --> 0:22:55.959 a zooks? A lot of people ask me, when can 0:22:56.000 --> 0:22:58.320 I tell my kids they can't have a they shouldn't 0:22:58.400 --> 0:23:00.720 get a driver's license? And I think it's going to 0:23:00.840 --> 0:23:04.640 be probably my kids kids. Arguments for and against going 0:23:04.720 --> 0:23:11.439 public against uh, definitely focus UM. The quarterly pressure is 0:23:11.440 --> 0:23:14.200 something I understand and know, and this is a long 0:23:14.320 --> 0:23:17.960 term journey, so focus is important for it seems to 0:23:17.960 --> 0:23:23.680 be everybody's dream in this valley. Is it yours? No? No? 0:23:24.119 --> 0:23:27.280 My My My dream is to uh to get this uh, 0:23:27.359 --> 0:23:30.600 this robot taxi out there and to see it delivered. 0:23:30.600 --> 0:23:33.080 The promise that I know it will. Is Zook's going 0:23:33.119 --> 0:23:35.919 to be on public roads this year? I don't know. 0:23:35.960 --> 0:23:38.679 We'll have to see what about ten years, what a 0:23:38.680 --> 0:23:41.600