Autonomous cars (aka
Autonomous cars (aka "autonoms") will create a level of "disruption" similar to what the automobile did to the horse and buggy - massive and total. Your article suggest that Joe Familyguy will have an extra 3 hours to work in the car while in reality, Joe will be riding along with Jane, Juan and Jngeun. In today's world Uber sets a ride for point A to B. In tomorrow's, people will subscribe for a ride from A to B and to make that efficient, the "cloud" will determine how best to pair up folks generally going in the same direction at the same time of day. And that's just the beginning. A car "subscription" (think utility bill) will eliminate ones' choice of product - just like the fast lane at the rental car lots. And - as autonoms from the few remaining manufacturers develop to the point they are truly like refrigerators (all pretty much the same shape, size, function and reliability) the brand value diminishes to zero - Whirlpool anyone? There will be no need for car dealerships as the Uber fleets will provide their own service operations (like taxi companies do today). There will be no more need for automobile magazines than there is for publications like "Refridgerator World" and "Refrigerator & Stove Weekly", body shops will fade away, tire centers will go flat, 30-minute oil change centers will go rancid, auto parts stores will be gone and a piece of our economy will be looking for new work and for new tenants - just like the buggy whip makers did 120 years ago and the guy who collected rent from him. And this is only the tip. The unintended consequences of autonoms will be huge - what happens in snow storms? What happens in floods? When your prego wife has to get to the hospital at a speed faster than the posted limit? With the family driving vacation? With the family dog? With trips to the hardware store for lumber or a Christmas tree or a new mattress? When you want to make an "entrance" in your beautiful A8L but instead arrive in a pod. In the horse & buggy days there were the lowly buckboards and the elegant phaetons and all sorts of fodder in between. Will tomorrow's depiction of "success" be conveyed in the type of autonom that shows up at your door? Will a solo ride be viewed as an act of conspicuous consumption? Will the fact that you have a minivan or an F150 in the driveway set you apart from the Jones? Will the driveway and garage go the way of the carriage house? Big, big changes are coming folks - and it's not just the promise of being able to spend more Q-time with little Sally...