Wayve and Uber to Launch Driverless Robotaxis in London; UK Fast-Tracks Autonomous Vehicle Pilots
Key Takeaways
- Wayve and Uber plan to launch a driverless robotaxi service in London.
- UK fast-tracks autonomous vehicle pilots to spring 2026, from late 2027.
- Tesla robotaxi rides are tentatively scheduled to begin on June 22, 2025.
- Meta to acquire 49% stake in Scale AI for $14.8B; Wang to assume top position.
- Nintendo Switch 2 sells more than 3.5M units in four days after launch.
Top Stories
Wayve and Uber plan driverless robotaxi service in London
On 2025-06-10, it was reported that Wayve and Uber are planning to launch a fully driverless robotaxi service in London in the coming years, with intentions to expand to greater London and beyond.
UK fast-tracks autonomous vehicle pilots to spring 2026
On Tuesday, 2025-06-10, U.K. Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander announced the U.K. government would fast-track autonomous vehicle pilots to spring 2026, accelerated from late 2027, to encourage investment in autonomy.
Tesla robotaxi rides tentatively set for June 22
According to CEO Elon Musk, Tesla's public robotaxi rides are tentatively scheduled to begin on June 22, 2025, as reported on 2025-06-11.
Meta to acquire 49% stake in Scale AI for $14.8B
On 2025-06-10, The Information reported that Meta Platforms agreed to acquire a 49% stake in Scale AI for $14.8 billion. Scale AI, valued at $13.8 billion last spring and expected to generate over $2 billion in revenue this year, provides labeled data for AI development, and CEO Alexandr Wang will assume a top position at Meta.
Nintendo Switch 2 sells 3.5M+ in four days
On 2025-06-11, Nintendo announced it had sold more than 3.5 million Switch 2 units in the first four days after its launch, making it the company's fastest-selling gaming device to date.
Market Watch
White House AI czar downplays AI chip smuggling risk
On 2025-06-10, White House AI czar David Sacks downplayed the risk of American AI chips being smuggled to bad actors. He expressed concern that tight regulation of U.S. AI could stifle growth and cede the market to China, estimating China is only 3-6 months behind the U.S. in AI.
Trump rescinds Biden's AI competition executive order
On 2025-06-10, it was reported that Trump rescinded Biden's executive order aimed at promoting competition, protecting consumers, and ensuring AI was not used for misinformation.
Alphabet faces pressure on AI capital expenditures
On 2025-06-10, it was reported that Alphabet faces market pressure to demonstrate financial returns on its AI-related capital expenditures, which are expected to reach $75 billion this year.
Glean valuation jumps 57% to $7.2 billion
On 2025-06-10, Glean announced a valuation of $7.2 billion in its latest funding round led by Wellington Management, marking a nearly 57% jump in valuation. The company raised $150 million and surpassed $100 million in annual recurring revenue in its last fiscal year.
EU clears SES's $3.1 billion Intelsat bid
On June 10, 2025, the EU unconditionally cleared SES's $3.1 billion bid for Intelsat.
EV Revolution
BYD challenges Tesla with free 'God's Eye' package
On 2025-06-10, it was reported that Chinese electric-vehicle makers, led by BYD, are competing with Tesla in self-driving car production. BYD is offering its “God’s Eye” driver-assistance package for free, undercutting Tesla's nearly $9,000 FSD in China.
Tech in Motion
Google expands in-house TPU chip usage
On 2025-06-10, it was reported that Google is expanding its in-house chip known as tensor processing units (TPUs), which were historically reserved for internal use.
Zuckerberg forms new Meta AI team for AGI
On 2025-06-10, Bloomberg News reported that Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms, is forming a new AI team to develop "artificial general intelligence" (AGI). Zuckerberg plans to recruit around 50 people, including a new head of AI research, reportedly driven by frustration over the performance of Meta's Llama 4.
Qualcomm launches AI R&D center in Vietnam
On 2025-06-11, Qualcomm launched an artificial intelligence research and development centre in Vietnam.
Snap to launch Specs smart glasses in 2026
Snap is set to launch its first smart glasses, Specs, for all consumers in 2026, increasing competition with Meta in the wearable technology market, according to reports published on 2025-06-10 and 2025-06-11.
Slack blocks software firms from searching messages
On 2025-06-11, The Information reported that Salesforce-owned Slack recently blocked other software firms from searching or storing Slack messages, even if their customers permit them to do so.
Meta delayed 'Behemoth' AI model release
Reported on 2025-06-10, Meta delayed the release of its "Behemoth" AI model in the previous month of an unspecified date, due to concerns about its capabilities, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.
Snap invests $3B+ in lightweight AR Specs
On June 10, 2025, at the Augmented World Expo 2025, Snap co-founder and CEO Evan Spiegel announced that Snap's augmented reality smart glasses, called Specs, will be lightweight, and that the company has invested more than US$3 billion over 11 years developing its augmented reality glasses.
Autonomous Drive Updates
Wayve details AI-500 Roadshow initial findings
On 2025-06-10, Wayve released a blog post with initial findings from its “AI-500 Roadshow,” a project aiming to visit 500 cities using a single AI model by the end of 2025.
Data Privacy
Google Chrome user data lawsuit denied class action
On June 10, 2025, U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled that people who accused Google of illegally collecting their personal information after they chose not to synchronize their Google Chrome browsers with their Google accounts, cannot sue Google as a group in a class action.
Global Tech Regulation
Russia develops state-backed messaging app
On 2025-06-10, Russian lawmakers voted for the development of a state-backed messaging app to reduce its dependency on platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram.