Topic: Autonomous Cars

FBI agents arrested former Apple engineer Zhaoling Zhang at San Jose airport as he attempted to flee to China with stolen trade secrets. Zhang allegedly downloaded massive amounts of confidential data regarding Apple's secretive autonomous car project before resigning to work for a Chinese competitor, Xiaopeng Motors. A federal judge set his bail at $300,000 and ordered the surrender of his passport following the discovery of the data breach.

Uber's conflict with the California DMV over self-driving car permits in San Francisco is detailed. After an Uber autonomous vehicle was caught running a red light, the company claimed it was "human error" by the safety driver. The hosts argue that Uber is intentionally ignoring regulations to maintain its "disruptor" reputation.

The impact of autonomous vehicles on the radio industry is analyzed, with the prediction that self-driving cars will eliminate the need for "time, temperature, and traffic" reports. Since these hyper-local updates are radio's last competitive advantage, the hosts conclude that the industry is "toast" as passengers shift to watching video in their cars.

A review of the autonomous car industry in 2015 highlights Tesla's "Autopilot" system and testing by Google in Austin and Mountain View. Looking toward 2016, the report mentions potential Apple car rumors and the upcoming unveiling of a prototype by the mysterious company Faraday Future.

A promotional event for Google's self-driving cars took place at the Thinkery children's museum in Austin, Texas. Attendees observed the "bean-shaped" prototype vehicles and interacted with Google staff members who indicated that "Phase One" of the rollout—where drivers are trained to take over manually from software—is projected for 2020. The event was characterized as lacking clear marketing direction or public engagement despite the presence of live music and refreshments.

Iran has unveiled the Shahed 129, an indigenous long-range drone, as reports indicate that 76 countries are now developing drone technology. The hosts discuss the Pentagon's push for autonomous drones that can make "ethical" kill decisions without human intervention. They argue that the public is being conditioned for this "drone world" through the legalization of self-driving Google cars and the expansion of drone bases in locations like Djibouti.