Best Podcast Episodes About Rivian
Everything podcasters are saying about Rivian — curated from top podcasts
Updated: Mar 31, 2026 – 14 episodes
Listen to the Playlist
Ridealong has curated the best and most interesting podcasts and clips about Rivian.
Top Podcast Clips About Rivian
“… if you look at any product south of a car almost all of them are built with this contract manufacturing model okay talk about the name and the brand rivian has those delightful headlights a lot of different interesting brand decisions around rivian What are you taking What are you thinking And where does the name come from That so great I love it Naming something is so hard And so RJ and I battled quite a bit with this But when we landed on this one, we knew it was the one because if you look at transportation, it's always been so singular narrative. It's like it's just cars or it's just not cars. …”
“… because you just drive the car as opposed to putting that's exactly right i mean if you look at a car i mean the size of tools necessary every custom they are tariffs like they all have to like you have to have your own factory in region yep but if you look at any product south of a car almost all of them are built with this contract manufacturing model okay talk about the name and the brand rivian has those delightful headlights a lot of different interesting brand decisions around rivian What are you taking What are you thinking And where does the name come from That so great I love it Naming something is so hard And so RJ and I battled quite a bit with this But when we landed on this one, we knew it was the one because if you look at transportation, it's always been so singular narrative. It's like it's just cars or it's just not cars. And for us, the approach is like whether it's a commercial enterprise or a consumer, it's all of the above most likely, meaning that I want to use my R1 to go on a long weekend trip. But my school drop off with my kid, it's a pain in the butt to sit in the car line and something smaller probably makes more sense. And so the transformation of …”
View more
Ridealong summary
Rivian's approach to manufacturing sets it apart by using contract manufacturers globally for assembly, unlike traditional car makers who produce locally. This strategy allows them to focus on innovative product design while navigating the complexities of supply chain logistics. Rivian's brand identity reflects a diverse transportation solution, catering to various consumer needs without direct competition from Chinese manufacturers in the U.S.
“uber plans to invest 1.25 billion dollars in rivian through 2031 contingent on meeting autonomy milestones starting with 300 million dollars at signing to deploy around 50 000 level four robotaxis quoting the verge uber and rivian are joining forces to deploy 50 000 fully autonomous robotaxis over the next several decades of the companies announced thursday as part of the deal Uber will invest $1.25 billion in Rivian through 2031, contingent on Rivian meeting certain autonomy milestones, …”
“uber plans to invest 1.25 billion dollars in rivian through 2031 contingent on meeting autonomy milestones starting with 300 million dollars at signing to deploy around 50 000 level four robotaxis quoting the verge uber and rivian are joining forces to deploy 50 000 fully autonomous robotaxis over the next several decades of the companies announced thursday as part of the deal Uber will invest $1.25 billion in Rivian through 2031, contingent on Rivian meeting certain autonomy milestones, starting with an initial $300 million at signing. The deal is still subject to regulatory approval. The news signals a big vote of confidence in Rivian's nascent autonomy efforts, which include designing its own custom AI chips to power Level 4 autonomous vehicles. Uber, meanwhile, has been on something of a robotaxi partnering spree, corralling a variety …”
View more
Ridealong summary
Uber's investment in Rivian is a bold move, but Rivian's autonomous capabilities remain largely theoretical, raising questions about the feasibility of their ambitious plans.
“on the robo-taxi race. Uber announced today they're investing up to $1.25 billion in Rivian to build out a fleet of up to 50,000 fully autonomous robo-taxis over the next five years. Now, here's how the deal is supposed to work. In the first phase, Uber will purchase 10,000 of Rivian's upcoming R2 EVs equipped with self-driving technology. For the next phase, Uber has the option to buy 40,000 more of the R2s starting in 2030. As for the timeline, the first robo-taxis are expected to hit the road in San Francisco and Miami in 2028, …”
“on the robo-taxi race. Uber announced today they're investing up to $1.25 billion in Rivian to build out a fleet of up to 50,000 fully autonomous robo-taxis over the next five years. Now, here's how the deal is supposed to work. In the first phase, Uber will purchase 10,000 of Rivian's upcoming R2 EVs equipped with self-driving technology. For the next phase, Uber has the option to buy 40,000 more of the R2s starting in 2030. As for the timeline, the first robo-taxis are expected to hit the road in San Francisco and Miami in 2028, eventually expanding to 25 cities across the US, Canada, and Europe by 2031. And these self-driving Rivians will be exclusive to Uber's platform. Now, I feel like there should be an asterisk on the headline here, because when you dig into the details, Uber has only committed like $300 million as the initial investment, and the rest of the billion …”
View more
Ridealong summary
Uber's $1.25 billion investment in Rivian is largely PR-driven, with only $300 million initially committed and the rest contingent on meeting milestones.
“… that. How long ago did you test it? This was probably three weeks, three, four weeks ago. Okay. And we're all testing it, and everyone sort of knows Rivian R2 is their lower-priced version of an SUV. It's their Model Y fighter. and everyone knows that the starting price is going to be $45,000. But we also all know that tech companies do this thing where they give reviewers the highest spec trim, best possible version of the thing. This is in phones, computers, everything. iPhone 17E with a $900 price. 16E with the most storage. So we all know we're driving the dual motor performance nice trim …”
“Can I just set the stage for why we're getting the prices now? So I've already tested and reviewed the R2, which I think is probably, it's arguably their most important vehicle, right? As we were testing it, we all knew that. How long ago did you test it? This was probably three weeks, three, four weeks ago. Okay. And we're all testing it, and everyone sort of knows Rivian R2 is their lower-priced version of an SUV. It's their Model Y fighter. and everyone knows that the starting price is going to be $45,000. But we also all know that tech companies do this thing where they give reviewers the highest spec trim, best possible version of the thing. This is in phones, computers, everything. iPhone 17E with a $900 price. 16E with the most storage. So we all know we're driving the dual motor performance nice trim interior and we had a great time. It was a super capable vehicle, but we know we're not driving the $45,000 version. So now we're finding out how much did the version that I tested cost, and when is the $45,000 version coming? So why don't you give that to us? Yeah, I've got kind of everything here. So we're going to have R2 Standard, R2 Premium, and …”
View more
Ridealong summary
The Rivian R2, starting at $45,000, is set to revolutionize the affordable electric vehicle market. Key trims include the R2 Performance at $57,000 with impressive specs, launching in spring 2026, while the Standard version will arrive in 2027. This new lineup positions Rivian to compete directly with Tesla's Model Y and attract a broader audience.
“And now he's taking shots at Elon Musk. So the CEO of Rivian, the electric vehicle company, this week, according to the Wall Street Journal, quietly founded and separated this robotics company away from Rivian. So they spun it out, out of the Rivian actual company here, and they just raised $500 million from Andreessen Horowitz and other top tier investors at a $2 billion valuation. Talk about quietly. We didn't even know about it until just a few days ago. And Mind Robotics is building AI-powered robots …”
“And now he's taking shots at Elon Musk. So the CEO of Rivian, the electric vehicle company, this week, according to the Wall Street Journal, quietly founded and separated this robotics company away from Rivian. So they spun it out, out of the Rivian actual company here, and they just raised $500 million from Andreessen Horowitz and other top tier investors at a $2 billion valuation. Talk about quietly. We didn't even know about it until just a few days ago. And Mind Robotics is building AI-powered robots designed to do real work inside of Rivian's own factories. Picking up parts, assembling components, manipulating wiring harnesses. The robots are being trained to use data from thousands of cameras already installed in Rivian's manufacturing plants. And Rivian said they'll have a large number of robots deployed already by the end of this year. …”
View more
Ridealong summary
Rivian has secretly spun off a robotics company, Mind Robotics, raising $500 million to build specialized AI-powered robots for its factories. Unlike Tesla's general-purpose humanoid robots, Rivian's approach focuses on efficiency in manufacturing, directly challenging the value of humanoid designs. This strategic pivot highlights a significant divergence in how these two electric vehicle giants are approaching automation.
“… Stock of the Week is Uber, who is pivoting hard towards self-driving. Yesterday, Uber announced plans to invest up to $1.25 billion in the EV maker Rivian to launch a fleet of robo-taxis over the next five years. If all the correct milestones are hit, the two companies are aiming to deploy 50,000 autonomous vehicles operating across multiple countries by 2031. While Uber drivers are a great source for an unhinged chat at 2 a.m. coming back for the bar, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi thinks an empty front seat is, quote, one of the most critical areas of focus of the company. The market likes the …”
“I won the pre-show game of who can do more Bulgarian split squats, so I am up first. And my Stock of the Week is Uber, who is pivoting hard towards self-driving. Yesterday, Uber announced plans to invest up to $1.25 billion in the EV maker Rivian to launch a fleet of robo-taxis over the next five years. If all the correct milestones are hit, the two companies are aiming to deploy 50,000 autonomous vehicles operating across multiple countries by 2031. While Uber drivers are a great source for an unhinged chat at 2 a.m. coming back for the bar, CEO Dara Khosrowshahi thinks an empty front seat is, quote, one of the most critical areas of focus of the company. The market likes the partnership approach Uber is taking. The company actually sold off its self-driving arm in 2020 for proving too costly. Now it's working as the middleman between car companies and riders, hanging 10 on the robo-taxi wave without danger of eating a full face of steep costs that come with developing its own tech. Uber now counts Rivian, Lucid, Stellantis, …”
View more
Ridealong summary
Uber's strategic partnerships in the self-driving space position it well, but there's a risk it could be sidelined by direct-to-consumer autonomous services.
“Let's talk about some stocks making moves today. Shares of Rivian are moving higher this morning after the EV maker got an upgrade from TD Cohen. This upgrade is largely about the company's next vehicle, the Rivian R2, which is expected to launch this summer. The R2 is a smaller, more affordable electric SUV with a starting price of around $45,000, which is a huge discount from Rivian's current flagship SUV, the R1S, that starts at closer to $80,000. TD Cohen thinks this lower price point will be a big boost …”
“Let's talk about some stocks making moves today. Shares of Rivian are moving higher this morning after the EV maker got an upgrade from TD Cohen. This upgrade is largely about the company's next vehicle, the Rivian R2, which is expected to launch this summer. The R2 is a smaller, more affordable electric SUV with a starting price of around $45,000, which is a huge discount from Rivian's current flagship SUV, the R1S, that starts at closer to $80,000. TD Cohen thinks this lower price point will be a big boost for the company. They're projecting long-term demand of 212,000 to 335,000 units for the R2. To put that in perspective, Rivian only delivered about 42,000 vehicles in total in all of 2025. So if these numbers are even close to being right, it would be a big boost for the company. Cohen slapped a $20 price target on the stock, which is about 25% …”
View more
Ridealong summary
Rivian's stock is surging after an upgrade, driven by excitement around their upcoming R2 electric SUV, which could drastically increase demand. In stark contrast, Kohl's is struggling with 16 consecutive quarters of declining sales, leading to a significant drop in stock value. Meanwhile, Amazon's Zoox is expanding its robo-taxi service, hinting at a growing competition in the autonomous vehicle market.
“Rivian has removed the $45,000 number from the website of the Rivian R2 product page. Well, we get pricing in three days time on the 12th of March, so we'll find out for once and for all. the old layout put that line beside the reserve button and a coming 2026 tag. Well here we are in 2026 and the updated page now just has a countdown clock and 45 has been removed That doesn mean they not going to hit 45 at least for the base version of the truck Well …”
“Rivian has removed the $45,000 number from the website of the Rivian R2 product page. Well, we get pricing in three days time on the 12th of March, so we'll find out for once and for all. the old layout put that line beside the reserve button and a coming 2026 tag. Well here we are in 2026 and the updated page now just has a countdown clock and 45 has been removed That doesn mean they not going to hit 45 at least for the base version of the truck Well the edit matches Rivian launch plan The R2 compact SUV coming as its higher priced dual motor variant to begin with a launch spec edition won't be 45,000 pounds. Maybe it'll be 58 or $60,000. I don't know. Rivian still plans the single motor base R2 after the first wave of deliveries. That keeps their March 2024 promise alive, but not for this …”
View more
Ridealong summary
Rivian has removed the $45,000 price tag for its R2 model just days before a crucial update at South by Southwest. This change suggests the starting price could be higher than anticipated, potentially around $58,000 or $60,000, while Rivian still plans to deliver a lower-priced variant later. Meanwhile, a new report shows that battery electric vehicles are becoming more cost-effective than traditional gas vehicles in Europe, marking a significant shift in the automotive market.
Ridealong summary
Rivian has launched its Adventure Department, aiming to compete directly with established off-road vehicles like Land Rover's Octa and Ford's Raptors. This initiative formalizes the engineering team behind Rivian's innovative quad motor variants, setting the stage for exciting new developments in the electric vehicle market. Meanwhile, Lytton's acquisition of Northvolt Operations for nearly $5 billion marks a significant shift in battery manufacturing capabilities in Sweden.
“… And I want to go back to all of them are saying, like, for all the people who are poo-pooing phishing tests, I'll mention Mike Johnson, Cesar Rivian, my other co-host, he's very much against it. If you're not going to phish them, how else can you measure them? Like, you've got to measure how much stronger they are. I mean, heck, when you go to school, you take tests and you get grades on them. If you're not going to test them, how else do you plan on grading them? I don't know. I mean, is there another way, Eddie? Yeah. And think about like a car company. If you sit in a car, what happens …”
“… is also about social exchange and making sure you have a credible reputation for your department. And there'll be a lot more forgiving when you do the phishing test, because as Joshua notes in here, you better measure these things. It's really important. And I want to go back to all of them are saying, like, for all the people who are poo-pooing phishing tests, I'll mention Mike Johnson, Cesar Rivian, my other co-host, he's very much against it. If you're not going to phish them, how else can you measure them? Like, you've got to measure how much stronger they are. I mean, heck, when you go to school, you take tests and you get grades on them. If you're not going to test them, how else do you plan on grading them? I don't know. I mean, is there another way, Eddie? Yeah. And think about like a car company. If you sit in a car, what happens when you turn it on and you put it in drive? The doors automatically lock. Why do they lock? No one's going to steal nothing when you're in there. It's just habit. It's a very easy control to implement. It's something that is second nature to the vehicle. Now, if a car didn't auto lock when you put drive and all of a sudden a kid inside the car …”
View more
Ridealong summary
Measuring employee susceptibility to phishing is crucial for effective security training. Chris Spohr, a CISO, emphasizes that without practical tests, companies create a false sense of security. The discussion highlights that testing not only assesses knowledge but also prepares employees for real phishing threats, much like fire drills prepare us for emergencies.
“… be both. The Facebook watch is expected sometime this year, according to TheInformation. Well this was fast. Remember the news last week that had Rivian coming out with a dedicated app for Apple Watch? Yeah, it's out already. Engadget says the app can handle a few features, including setting cabin temperature, setting a target state of charge, venting the windows, and probably the biggest feature, locking and unlocking the car. As was pointed out last week, Rivian started supporting digital car keys in Apple Wallet late last year. Interesting is that support only works with models from 2025 or …”
“… and built-in Meta AI, because just because you don't want it everywhere, doesn't mean it's not going to be everywhere. The question, of course, is the built-in Meta AI for situational awareness? Is it for being creepy? Guess there's no reason it can't be both. The Facebook watch is expected sometime this year, according to TheInformation. Well this was fast. Remember the news last week that had Rivian coming out with a dedicated app for Apple Watch? Yeah, it's out already. Engadget says the app can handle a few features, including setting cabin temperature, setting a target state of charge, venting the windows, and probably the biggest feature, locking and unlocking the car. As was pointed out last week, Rivian started supporting digital car keys in Apple Wallet late last year. Interesting is that support only works with models from 2025 or later. The Apple Watch app works with first-generation Rivian models. That means cars from 2021 through 2024 can now get the same basic car key functionality through the Apple Watch app. More news in a moment, but first a word from today's sponsor, NordLayer, the toggle-ready network security platform built for today's business. You have known and …”
View more
Ridealong summary
Meta's upcoming smartwatch raises eyebrows with its health tracking and built-in Meta AI features, sparking concerns over privacy and situational awareness. Initially canceled, the project has been reimagined but still leaves many questioning its true purpose. Meanwhile, Rivian's new Apple Watch app allows users to control their vehicles, showcasing the growing integration of tech in our daily lives.
“… Expensive. The expensive one or the cheap one? Cheap is relative to the expensive one. Of course. Yeah, let's do the cheap one. Okay, all right. Rivian R2 reviews dropped this week. Sort of reviews, right? Including ours. Yeah. First drive. Reviews, first drive. First impressions. Final prototype evaluation. We don't have full pricing of all the trims yet, but our video went up. Carwow video went up. Jerry Everything video went up. Doug DiMiro video. A bunch of us got to actually hang out and drive these cars. R2, as many of you know, is the slightly smaller and roughly half the price Rivian …”
“… a $75 Sponsored Job credit at Indeed.com slash podcast. Terms and conditions apply. All right, welcome back to Waveform, the Waveform podcast as you know it, where we talk about EVs. Two EVs to talk about this week. The cheap one or the expensive one? Expensive. The expensive one or the cheap one? Cheap is relative to the expensive one. Of course. Yeah, let's do the cheap one. Okay, all right. Rivian R2 reviews dropped this week. Sort of reviews, right? Including ours. Yeah. First drive. Reviews, first drive. First impressions. Final prototype evaluation. We don't have full pricing of all the trims yet, but our video went up. Carwow video went up. Jerry Everything video went up. Doug DiMiro video. A bunch of us got to actually hang out and drive these cars. R2, as many of you know, is the slightly smaller and roughly half the price Rivian R1. It's a second generation product. It's their 2.0 SUV. It's their Model Y fighter. It's their mass market competitor to put them on the map and save them. Blah, blah, blah. All these expectations for R2. I thought it was really, really good. I thought it was really impressive. The software was good. The steering wheel haptics were like PS5 …”
View more
Ridealong summary
The Rivian R2 impresses with its performance and features, positioning itself as a serious contender in the EV market. Despite being half the price of its predecessor, the R1, it offers dual motor all-wheel drive, 0-60 in just 3.5 seconds, and around 300 miles of range. This makes it a compelling option for those seeking a high-performance electric vehicle without breaking the bank.
“… this is yeah this is a question for an ai chatbot hello ai chatbot anyway but this is a really big deal for Hello, friend. Just real quick. Does the Rivian do, SearchWeb also, does the new Rivian do full self-driving or like a Tesla level or just like kind of like, eh, I'm staying between the lanes? Rivian offers advanced driver assistance features including adaptive cruise control, lane centering, and automated lane changes. But it does not provide full self-driving or anything akin to Tesla's full self-driving FST. Do they plan on doing full self-driving SearchWeb? Rivian currently offers …”
“… no it's leave that they do the self-driving because they have the uh the yeah you'll see it anyway it does self-driving okay like full on full on yeah okay um not like half on i mean i don't know i i say full on i i don't know but anyway uh hold on this is yeah this is a question for an ai chatbot hello ai chatbot anyway but this is a really big deal for Hello, friend. Just real quick. Does the Rivian do, SearchWeb also, does the new Rivian do full self-driving or like a Tesla level or just like kind of like, eh, I'm staying between the lanes? Rivian offers advanced driver assistance features including adaptive cruise control, lane centering, and automated lane changes. But it does not provide full self-driving or anything akin to Tesla's full self-driving FST. Do they plan on doing full self-driving SearchWeb? Rivian currently offers hands-free driving on certain roads through its universal hands-free system, available in early 2026. They plan to offer level three eyes-off driving by late 2026, starting with the R2 SUV. Their long-term goal is full autonomy, potentially before the end of the decade. However, achieving that will depend on hardware regulations and conditions. What …”
View more
Ridealong summary
Rivian plans to offer hands-free driving by 2026, but it won't match Tesla's full self-driving capabilities. Their long-term goal is full autonomy, potentially by the end of the decade, depending on regulations and hardware. This ambitious vision raises questions about the future of transportation and how vehicles might one day integrate with urban infrastructure.
“… York City, Seattle, and Colorado. DoorDash plans to expand into more task types and countries in the future. We had a big Thursday, folks, because Rivian also made an announcement. And that announcement was that it's partnering with Uber to build thousands of robo-taxis based on its upcoming R2 SUV. The deal could be worth up to $1.25 billion for the EV maker. Uber is kicking off the partnership with an initial $300 million investment in Rivian and is expected to purchase 10,000 fully autonomous R2 robo-taxis ahead of a planned rollout in San Francisco and Miami in 2028. Uber will have the …”
“… with Waymo, where delivery couriers are paid to close the doors of the self-driving cars, is also listed in the app as a task. Now, the in-app tasks and the standalone tasks app are available in select places in the U.S., excluding California, New York City, Seattle, and Colorado. DoorDash plans to expand into more task types and countries in the future. We had a big Thursday, folks, because Rivian also made an announcement. And that announcement was that it's partnering with Uber to build thousands of robo-taxis based on its upcoming R2 SUV. The deal could be worth up to $1.25 billion for the EV maker. Uber is kicking off the partnership with an initial $300 million investment in Rivian and is expected to purchase 10,000 fully autonomous R2 robo-taxis ahead of a planned rollout in San Francisco and Miami in 2028. Uber will have the option to buy up to 40,000 more autonomous R2 SUVs from Rivian starting in 2030. The two companies said they plan to launch the robo-taxis in 25 cities in the US, Canada, and Europe by the end of 2031. The fleet will be exclusively available on Uber's network. While the agreement is potentially lucrative for Rivian, it's brimming with risk and …”
View more
Ridealong summary
The partnership between Uber and Rivian is potentially lucrative but fraught with significant risks and challenges due to Rivian's current production and testing status.
Top Podcasts About Rivian
The Rundown
2 episodes
Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast
2 episodes
EV News Daily - Technology and Business of EVs
2 episodes
TBPN
1 episode
Tech Brew Ride Home
1 episode
Rich Habits Podcast
1 episode
Morning Brew Daily
1 episode
Defense in Depth
1 episode
Stories Mentioning Rivian
Best Podcasts on Uber and Rivian Robotaxis
Uber has announced a significant $1.25 billion investment in Rivian to launch a robotaxi fleet, with deployments planned for San Francisco and Miami by 2028. Simultaneously, Amazon is reportedly working on an AI-powered smartphone, marking a potential comeback in the smartphone market after its previous Fire Phone flop. These developments signal major shifts in autonomous driving and consumer tech.
Uber
robotaxi