Waymo’s Are A Lot Safer Than You Think & Meet Italy’s ‘Berkshire Hathaway’

December 4, 2025

28 min episode · 2 min read

Episode

28 min

Read time

2 min

AI-Generated Summary

Published Jan 12, 2026

Key Takeaways

✓Fuel Economy Rollback: Trump cuts 2031 vehicle fuel efficiency requirements from 50 mpg to 34 mpg, allowing automakers to prioritize profitable SUVs and trucks over EVs, but exposing consumers to higher costs if gasoline prices spike above current $2.99 per gallon average.
✓Autonomous Vehicle Safety: Waymo's 100 million driverless miles across four cities demonstrate 91% fewer serious injury crashes, 80% fewer injury-causing accidents overall, and 96% lower crash rates at intersections compared to human drivers on identical roads.
✓Boston Housing Market: Average asking rent dropped to $3,000 in October, the first decline since 2021, driven by 17% fewer international students and biotech funding drought, despite only 8,600 new units added representing 20% above long-term average supply.
✓Urban Commute Constant: Global study across 43 countries reveals humans consistently travel 78 minutes daily regardless of location, wealth, or transportation mode. Faster transit enables longer distances rather than shorter commute times, explaining suburban expansion patterns throughout history.

What It Covers

Morning Brew Daily covers Trump's rollback of Biden-era fuel economy standards from 50 to 34 mpg, Waymo's autonomous vehicle safety data showing 91% fewer serious crashes, and Boston's rental market decline amid biotech funding challenges.

Key Questions Answered

•Fuel Economy Rollback: Trump cuts 2031 vehicle fuel efficiency requirements from 50 mpg to 34 mpg, allowing automakers to prioritize profitable SUVs and trucks over EVs, but exposing consumers to higher costs if gasoline prices spike above current $2.99 per gallon average.
•Autonomous Vehicle Safety: Waymo's 100 million driverless miles across four cities demonstrate 91% fewer serious injury crashes, 80% fewer injury-causing accidents overall, and 96% lower crash rates at intersections compared to human drivers on identical roads.
•Boston Housing Market: Average asking rent dropped to $3,000 in October, the first decline since 2021, driven by 17% fewer international students and biotech funding drought, despite only 8,600 new units added representing 20% above long-term average supply.
•Urban Commute Constant: Global study across 43 countries reveals humans consistently travel 78 minutes daily regardless of location, wealth, or transportation mode. Faster transit enables longer distances rather than shorter commute times, explaining suburban expansion patterns throughout history.

Notable Moment

A neurosurgeon argues Waymo's safety data is so overwhelmingly positive that continuing human-driven cars becomes ethically questionable, comparing it to clinical trials that must stop early when one treatment shows dramatically superior results over alternatives.

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