The autonomous vehicle race just entered a new phase. Baidu's distributing its robotaxis to Lyft, Uber, and other platforms—essentially opening the gates to anyone wanting to integrate them. Meanwhile, Tesla's gearing up to produce over 1 million robotaxis annually as a starting point, with even higher volumes projected for 2028-2029.

Here's what most people are missing: ride-sharing isn't sitting at 1% of total trips anymore. Within the next few years, autonomous vehicles will fundamentally reshape this. We're looking at a scenario where 50%+ of rides could be handled by robotaxis—a seismic shift in how mobility works.