I flew my drone through Austin while riding in a Tesla Cybercab. No driver. No steering wheel. No pedals. Nobody up front. I got in, set my temperature, pressed one button, and the car took me where I wanted to go. That’s it. The closest thing I can compare it to is an elevator. You don’t get into an elevator and think about who’s operating it. You press a button. The doors close. You arrive. Cybercab felt exactly like that… except it was moving me through Austin. And after experiencing it, I keep coming back to one thought... How does Uber compete with this long term? An Uber is still built around a human driver. You’re getting into somebody else’s car. Their music. Their smell. Their temperature. Their mood. Their driving style. Maybe they want to talk. Maybe they’re on the phone. Maybe they miss a turn. Maybe you just want to sit there quietly and get where you’re going. Cybercab removes all of that. The car pulls up. The doors open. You get in. Set the cabin the way you want it. Press Start Ride. And go. No awkward small talk. No tipping. No wondering who is picking you up. No driver needing to earn enough $ money from the trip. No business model built around constantly finding, paying, and managing millions of human drivers. Uber’s biggest asset today is its driver network. But in a world where the driver disappears… what happens to that advantage? Tesla builds the vehicle. Tesla builds the autonomy. Tesla controls the software. Tesla controls the app. Tesla can operate the network. And Cybercab itself was designed from day one around the passenger instead of around somebody sitting behind a steering wheel. That is a completely different model. Uber connects you with someone willing to drive you. Tesla is trying to make the driver unnecessary. Those are not the same game. And once Cybercabs become abundant, I'm talking in the millions, I think calling a stranger to come pick you up in their personal car is going to start feeling incredibly old-fashioned. That was the biggest thing I took away from riding Cybercab. It was how quickly every other ride-hailing company stopped feeling futuristic. After a few minutes, it just felt normal. And once transportation becomes that simple, I have a hard time seeing why anyone would choose anything else...

UPDATE: TikTok Support replied to my appeal saying that I’ve been permanently banned for hate speech with no chance of reversal. I asked TikTok to show me which videos were in violation of the guidelines and deemed as “hate speech.” They replied and said they don't have to tell me. They then, in writing, told me that they can take action on any video, at any time, for content that was already reviewed and allowed, and that I would not be allowed to appeal. So that's the standard now: nothing you post is ever actually safe. They can reach back a year, pull content they already cleared, and delete your account over it. And they don't have to tell you what you did. @tiktok_us