Miguel Sainz on Leading Software Systems at Zoox

“Physical AI” is having a moment. At Zoox, it’s been what we’ve been building since 2014. Zoox has been focused on a single challenge: building a purpose-built robotaxi designed to operate safely and reliably in complex urban environments. That means learning from real operational exposure across hundreds of vehicles, diverse cities, and long-tail edge cases, not just in simulation or isolated datasets, but through continuous interaction with the challenges and complexities of the road. In the inaugural episode of Inside The Ride, Co-Founder and CTO Jesse Levinson and Marc Wimmershoff talk about how Zoox has evolved since the early days, how real-world data and deployment shape the driving of today, and what’s next for Zoox as we continue to scale. Watch the full episode: https://lnkd.in/g2Kahsea #ThisIsZoox #Robotaxi #AutonomousMobility #AutonomousVehicles #AV #Zoox #Hiring

What happens when a Zoox robotaxi encounters something it’s never seen before? In most driving situations, patterns repeat, like intersections, lane changes, and pedestrians crossing mid-block. But occasionally, the road throws something unexpected, from debris in the lane to atypical construction, scenarios that don't match anything in the training data. These are edge cases, and they’re among the hardest problems to solve in autonomous driving. At Zoox, we don’t wait for edge cases to find us on the road. We build them in simulation, designing environments specifically to push our vehicle’s software to its limits, so if these scenarios do occur, we’re prepared. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eG3GT9y8. #ThisIsZoox #CodeToRoad #AutonomousVehicles #Robotaxi #Zoox

Marc Wimmershoff, Vice President, Autonomy Software, joined Harry Campbell of The Driverless Digest to talk about the competitive landscape in autonomy, how the AV industry has evolved, and what’s next for Zoox as we continue to scale. 🎙️ 👉 Watch the full podcast: https://lnkd.in/gKPUhg9W. #AutonomousVehicles #AutonomousMobility #Robotaxi #Zoox

As we scale our robotaxi service, we’re sharing our Safety Case Framework publicly for the first time. What makes it unique is our complete vertical integration. We design and manufacture our robotaxis, develop our own driving software, and operate our own fleet. That integration lets us continuously optimize for safety, from early system architecture through every deployment. Our target is to be multiple times safer than a human driver. To get there, we combine a system safety approach that addresses systemic faults and design errors across hardware, software, and operations with a quantitative risk assessment framework for residual risk and edge-case scenarios. We believe transparency is essential to building the trust that the safe deployment of autonomous vehicles demands. Explore our safety case to learn about how we define safety targets, measure risk across each domain, and the standard we hold ourselves to before we put our robotaxis on the road: https://lnkd.in/gru684me #ThisIsZoox #AutonomousVehicles #Robotaxi #Safety #Technology #Hardware #Software

Zoox isn’t a modified car. It’s a purpose-built robotaxi, designed from the ground up for autonomy. That distinction matters. Cars are engineered around a human driver. Zoox took a different approach. And by designing the vehicle specifically for autonomy, perception became foundational, not an afterthought. Sensor pods on each corner provide a high vantage point to see over traffic. Cameras, lidar, radar, longwave infrared, and microphones work together to create a 360-degree perception system. And because the vehicle is fully symmetrical and bidirectional, every direction is forward, enabling consistent awareness and confident driving in either direction. Head to our Journal to learn more: https://lnkd.in/g8gFnEaD #ThisIsZoox #Robotaxi #AutonomousVehicles #Technology

Since her university days, Bat El Shlomo knew she wanted a career in computer vision. She loved the idea of writing code and seeing real, visible output from her work. Throughout her career, Bat El has led teams across industries ranging from semiconductors to manufacturing and now autonomy. Today, Bat El serves as Director, Perception, at Zoox. She values a data-driven approach and invests heavily in her team's growth. Her team uses artificial intelligence and machine learning tools to expand our robotaxi’s perception capabilities. 💬 “There is something amazing about seeing a robotaxi on the road. It represents a major shift in how we think about transportation. Moving from driver assistance to full autonomy is a huge leap. Being part of that transformation is something I feel very lucky to experience." Head to our Journal to learn more about Bat El and her journey: https://lnkd.in/g8mx3DQF.

What does it actually take to build a legitimate robotaxi service? Beyond the purpose-built vehicle itself, integration and coordination are required across AI, software, engineering, mapping, infrastructure, operations, and everything else in between. All working together to create a single, safe, and scalable system. In the debut episode of Inside The Ride, VP of Autonomy Marc Wimmershoff takes a ride around San Francisco with Co-Founder and CTO Jesse Levinson to have a candid conversation about the realities of building and scaling Zoox. Inside The Ride is a new series exploring the technical challenges and decision-making behind autonomous mobility, with future episodes diving into different parts of Zoox and the people helping to build them. What are you interested in learning more about? Drop it in the comments. And head to YouTube to watch the full episode: https://lnkd.in/ejEkTanr #ThisIsZoox #Robotaxi #AutonomousMobility #AutonomousVehicles #AV #Zoox #Hiring

I’m incredibly excited about the release of ZooxCast! This feature allows you to pair once and reconnect automatically on every ride in any Zoox. What started as a few of us spending nights and weekends proving this was possible with Bluetooth quickly grew into patent filings and the opportunity for me to lead a large cross functional team. It took hard work from dozens of people across the company working nights and weekends to get this out the door. Hats off to everyone who helped build this. From Product to Design, Software Engineering to Quality Control, Vehicle to Cloud to Mobile and of course marketing for this awesome video. It took a City to build this. LFG and on to the next! 

Excited to share that our commercial autonomous ride-hail service is officially operating to and from the Las Vegas airport. Bringing fully autonomous rides to this busy travel hub is no small feat. Our team has been firing on all cylinders, hitting rapid milestones to turn this launch into a reality. Incredible work by my team and eveyone who helped make this happen!!! 🎉

Zoox is expanding our testing footprint to Houston, Texas, and San Diego, California. Later this month, our test fleet will begin mapping the streets ahead of autonomous rides. Each new market gives us critical driving data to validate our technology across distinct geography and terrain. Houston introduces complex service-road networks, unique merging scenarios, and challenging environmental conditions. Meanwhile, San Diego brings a concentrated coastal corridor with heavy highway reliance, providing us with key experience as we prepare for future freeway operations. Both are vibrant, fast-moving communities with real promise for future ride-hailing. 📚 Head to our Journal to learn more: https://lnkd.in/g5BD_TE5 🏢 Did you know we have an office in San Diego? Check out our open roles here: https://lnkd.in/gnRgC-tU #ThisIsZoox #AutonomousVehicles #Robotaxi #SanDiego #Houston