As you said, if someone can do something with this knowledge that the society we've built has rotten pillars, it's Elon or no one.
never been a better time to be optimistic or become a "maker" instead of a "taker".
We had a couple of classes with a similar conclusion at PA - it's a good time to be optimistic (as opposed to the perennial doom that seems to be put forward lately). What an important message to send to the world.
I think he's pretty well positioned to make a difference and has the personality for it. I hope the greed and corruption is left in this old world and we're able to shed that mentality in the new one. It's so very important that we stay positive and seek out the good during this transition. I have a feeling our world a decade from now will be almost unrecognizable from the one we live in today. That change is going to happen at lightening-speed.
I was just watching your Waymo ride on YT - do you think, if these things prove feasible long term, they'll eventually get rid of the control buttons and things? Since the robot doesn't need them to pilot anyway. A autonomous taxi could just look like a box...Or like anything else really... (super cool btw)
I think we'll eventually just see a screen in the vehicles and there won't even be any steering wheel or driver controls. This is how the CyberCab is designed.
The cars will operate seamlessly with the app(s). Waymo's driving ability and ease of use was pretty impressive but with all those expensive Lidar scanners on the cars I just don't know how they'll scale and be profitable. I think this is where Tesla has the advantage. Every car they sell is capable of autonomous driving using just regular cameras.
Amazon is throwing their hat into the autonomous taxi ring with Zoox. It's got that box design that you describe.
What I'm really excited about is the RoboVan. It's an art deco design with a modern spin.