What autonomous cars are teaching us about pricing power 3y1z53

In this episode of If Prices Could Talk, Tracy Dent is ed by Greg James and Jeet Mukherjee to break down the economic, strategic, and emotional factors shaping the autonomous vehicle industry.  What’s the difference between Tesla’s feature-based pricing and Waymo’s per-mile approach? How does trust impact pricing power? What happens when legacy companies are forced to compete in platform economics? This episode explores the economic and emotional levers driving how we think about value, and what they mean for leaders facing disruption from AI.     Key Themes: Trust as a critical lever in emerging markets Subscription vs. CapEx vs. outcome-based pricing The role of entropy in complex commercial models What B2B leaders can learn from the AV transformation ABOUT GREG Granted with 14 patents, Greg is a 30-year industry veteran who has led engineering teams at companies like Intel, Verizon, and Google. Throughout his career, he has led mechanical design teams, enabled customers to manufacture with Intel's advanced SMT and socketed chips, and developed and delivered thermal and mechanical solutions for mobile PCs.   Connect with Greg: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregoryajames/  Connect with Jeet: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeet-mukherjee-58462a1/ Connect with Tracy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracyleighdent/ CHAPTERS 00:00 Introductions 01:01 The rise of Waymo 08:02 Understanding the value drivers 17:23 What is entropy in auto pricing? Complexity, confusion, and value erosion 33:40 Platform economics and labor disruption; pricing the unknown 38:13 Cost per mile and what customers actually pay for 43:10 Final takeaways and B2B learnings from AV innovation Research referenced: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15389588.2025.2499887#abstract https://www.moneygeek.com/resources/costs-of-car-ownership/ https://waymo.com/safety/ 4w4d5j