Ben Lorica is joined by Evangelos Simoudis for a wide-ranging check-in on how AI is reshaping mobility, enterprise software, and corporate strategy.<br>Subscribe to the Gradient Flow Newsletter 📩 https://gradientflow.substack.com/<br>Subscribe: Apple · Spotify · Overcast · Pocket Casts · AntennaPod · Podcast Addict · Amazon · RSS.<br><br>Detailed show notes and transcript, can be found on The Data Exchange web site.

The SaaSpocalypse Is Coming — But Don't Count Out the Incumbents

The Data Exchange with Ben Lorica

# Full Transcript

**Podcast:** The Data Exchange with Ben Lorica

## Participants

- **Ben Lorica** (Gradient Flow)
- **Evangelos Simoudis** (Synapse Partners)
- **Evangelos Simoudis** (Synapse Partners)

## Transcript

Alright, so we're back with my regular check-in with Evangelist Simoudis. His blog is at corporateinnovation.co. We are recording this on June 11, 2026, and we're going to cover three topics, roughly 10 minutes each. Topic number one, AI and mobility. Evangelist, go!

So, good morning. It's good to see you again. Good to work with you. I was listening on the road quite a bit, and I had the opportunity to use both Waymo and Uber.

And first of all, and I write about the fact that when we talk about robot taxes, it's about customer experience. It's not about the autonomous vehicle per se. I mean, the vehicle is important, but it's about the customer experience.

So, I recently, as I said, because of these troubles, I had the opportunity to compare the two. And the first point I will make is that when we compare the two, we really need to compare Uber Comfort with Waymo.

It is unfair to be comparing Uber X with Waymo, right? Two different products. Now, when we talk about customer experience, as I think some people know, right-hailing is a low-margin business.

So, when you want to offer customer experience, you have to wonder about where does AI make a difference in that experience, and for what part of the experience can the company charge a premium, right?

So, when I think about the customer experience that the user, the traveler looks at, we have, the traveler talks about the ETA. How quickly can a vehicle come to me, right? And here's what I will say that Waymo still lacks, and this is where you see the power of the Uber network, right?

It doesn't matter how good of an algorithm you use, if you don't have enough vehicle. Recently, again, I was looking for Waymo. It gave me a 10-minute ETA. Uber was there in two minutes. I mean, very big difference, right? The second one is the personalization of the cabin. And now, I will say Waymo is much better. Why? There's consistency, first of all, right?

In Uber, I do not know if I will get into a lucid vehicle or into a Toyota Pathfinder or whatever, right? And that is... And the driving style is consistent. And the UX inside the screen is consistent, right? Exactly. And all of that... And by the way, I can...

The only thing I can control with Uber is to say, I don't want the driver to speak to me, okay? By the way, many times, and again, I've seen this, unfortunately, many times the driver doesn't even speak English. Even if I wanted to talk to them, they don't want to talk to me. And that's a problem because it relates to the next part, which is safety. Safety... There are two parts, again, to safety. There's the safety of how am I driving, right?

And we've seen... Again, I've seen in New York, in Boston, in Los Angeles, a great variety of driving skills by Uber drivers. Again, i...

The SaaSpocalypse Is Coming — But Don't Count Out the Incumbents

Transcript

Built for investment professionals

Every day you wait, your competitors are finding
edge in conversations you're not hearing.

The SaaSpocalypse Is Coming — But Don't Count Out the Incumbents

Transcript

Built for investment professionals

Every day you wait, your competitors are findingedge in conversations you're not hearing.

Every day you wait, your competitors are finding
edge in conversations you're not hearing.