The autonomous vehicle industry is starting to echo the 2016 excitement cycle. Travis Kalanick is back at the helm of a robotics firm, and the competition for talent and capital is heating up once again. Investments are on the rise, and those who navigated through that initial phase are now leading the way for the new generation.

Eyal Cohen, founder and CEO of Humble Robotics, stands among them. Cohen was with Otto when Uber approached, later following Anthony Levandowski to Pronto, and after two decades of working in deep tech spheres in the Bay Area, his latest venture surfaced from stealth in April with $24 million to develop a completely autonomous, cabless electric hauler for freight.

Cohen joins Kirsten Korosec in this episode of TechCrunch’s Equity podcast to discuss AV déjà vu and the lessons he’s gathered over 15 years of establishing startups in electrification, solar, and robotics.

Subscribe to Equity on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, and other podcast platforms. You can also follow Equity on X and Threads by searching for @EquityPod.