RJ interview on CNBC - May 8, 2024

[Budman]

No news but they asked him about the Apple rumors and the Tesla Supercharger issue. Got the typical non-direct answers CEOs usually give but the Apple rumor answer was not "No" and there was maybe some RJ body language they make me think maybe????

Sponsored

 

[ThatOneGuy]

Rj and his cheeky smiles are always telling.

 

[Hercules10]

There is a WALL STREET JOURNAL ARTICLE that states something like "when Apple comes calling" The essence of the article is that if you are a small company and you have a good idea, than you will lose all you employees for Apple buys them out and suddenly your new idea is a Apple product. The heart rate monitor on their watch is an example and is in the courts. I can see the Rivian info system being an Apple product and than all the Android folks will need to switch for full use of the system. Will Apple and Google control the world? Apple working with Rivian scares me. Can you imagine a RIS with a apple logo? Kind of lame...

 

[itselectric]

There is a WALL STREET JOURNAL ARTICLE that states something like "when Apple comes calling" The essence of the article is that if you are a small company and you have a good idea, than you will lose all you employees for Apple buys them out and suddenly your new idea is a Apple product. The heart rate monitor on their watch is an example and is in the courts. I can see the Rivian info system being an Apple product and than all the Android folks will need to switch for full use of the system. Will Apple and Google control the world? Apple working with Rivian scares me. Can you imagine a RIS with a apple logo? Kind of lame...

I really hope that this doesn't happen. Anything is possible.

I wouldn't mind Rivian booting out Alexa for Siri, though.

 

[iansriv]

Will Apple and Google control the world?

Thought everyone was worried about AI taking over the world. Companies trying to "buy out" talent/sw etc is as old as business is. I like the Amazon-Rivian model. Why can't Apple do something like that? Cheers.

 

[Redline]

Apple being involved with Rivian in any way is a good thing.

 

[jeeden]

I'm not a fan of Apple, but I also don't think it is a "bad" company compared to many others out there. That said, I would much rather see Rivian go all in with Amazon than Apple, although Amazon isn't really a consumer products company.

As always the truth is probably somewhere in between the following (thinking just to the right of the watch):

<- Apple watch unlocks Rivian--------Apple Carplay in the Stack-----------Apple logo on the hood/Apply EV-->

 

[Kacey3]

Not dissimilar to the reaction from Wassym when asked about Apple Music coming to the Infotainment system in a recent meet-and-greet.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

There is a WALL STREET JOURNAL ARTICLE that states something like "when Apple comes calling" The essence of the article is that if you are a small company and you have a good idea, than you will lose all you employees for Apple buys them out and suddenly your new idea is a Apple product. The heart rate monitor on their watch is an example and is in the courts. I can see the Rivian info system being an Apple product and than all the Android folks will need to switch for full use of the system. Will Apple and Google control the world? Apple working with Rivian scares me. Can you imagine a RIS with a apple logo? Kind of lame...

Baseless wild speculation, completely ignorant of factual clues. The rumor is about media streaming and Rivian as a distribution channel for Apple's media platforms, as well as possibly greater utilization of Apple Watch's capabilities (beyond the basic shortcuts). ALL of which Wassym spoke of in-person to a group of owners and prospective owners at the recent San Jose R2/3 event.

In this very same CNBC interview, what word did RJ use to describe our access to the Tesla Supercharger? Partnership. Did Tesla buy any Rivian stock or own any part of Rivian in the process? No.

These days, you can't assume anyone to be expressing expert opinion. Not even if they write under banner of established/recognized media outlets... because they all write for clicks out of necessity... because the ad algorithms reward them for the clicks. You have to pay attention to and collect the little crumbs of factual clues. That collection helps you filter who is actually offering expert opinion, and who is just feeding you trash to get a click out of you.

Partnership: you give me something, I give you something in return.
Ownership: I buy all or a portion of your company, and enjoy rewards of your labor.

I don't see how people are making the Grand Canyon sized leap from "partnership" to "ownership".

 

[jeeden]

I'm not a CEO and have no idea how to handle the press, but I feel like the correct answer to "would you ever share part of the software stack with a partner" was to answer "we already do, we have the Alexa assistant in the vehicles that allows you to control various features"

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

I'm not a CEO and have no idea how to handle the press, but I feel like the correct answer to "would you ever share part of the software stack with a partner" was to answer "we already do, we have the Alexa assistant in the vehicles that allows you to control various features"

Except Alexa doesn't work that well and its list of working skills are very limited. It's not something in the plus column. It'd just open another door for the nay-sayers. Even Wassym said, to an in-person audience in San Jose, that Alexa functionality isn't where they would like to be. If RJ had touted Alexa, you can bet someone will pull out video of Wassym's Q&A and put a spotlight on the contradiction.

For those who continue to refuse to accept facts regarding CarPaly (ACP)... Apple offers two options to automotive OEMs (I've worked for many and have dealt with marketing of ACP too many times):

1. ACP as an app, that you launch just like any other existing app within your infotainment systems (Spotify, TuneIn, Drive Modes, Nav, Charging, etc.). Today, this is the most common implementation because most OEMs are hardware engineering companies, not software development experts. If they were to create their own set of software based features, It takes too much time and cash burn to get-to-market. This implementation of ACP gives them a shortcut to all the digital features customers want and expect. When not running the ACP app, the user-experience of the infotainment system remain within the OEM's branding.
2. Next-gen ACP, where ACP takes over all screens with Apple's UI and UX. And I mean every single screen and everything within each, including the driver display. With this, you may get a animated Rivian logo upon entry/boot-up, and you may get some semblance of Rivian branding in the main UI, and that's it. Everything else would be iOS-like. In context of UI/UX, your car would not have its own personality. It would be like a husk of a body that has been possessed by the spirit of another.

Why Rivian says "no":

1. Option 1 requires human resources to implement and manage. As a resource-limited and expenditure-conscious start-up, there is no reason to allocate resources to do this when those same resources could be developing similar and more integrated functionality, that is more aligned with Rivian's own brand. The very same reason Apple wouldn't outsource anything that it could do in-house.
2. Rivian, very much like Apple, has its own brand image and experience to build and maintain. And just like Apple, it has no reason or desire allow another brand to dictate and shape its customers' experience/interaction with its product. That is why option 2 is absolutely off the table.

 

[BigSkies]

I generally trust Rivian to do what's best for customers in this regard.

I conceptually like Alexa as a car voice assistant, but Amazon's execution needs a lot of work for it to be as good as it needs to be. I don't have a lot of confidence in the Alexa product roadmap given how much that team has been cut.

I wouldn't be surprised if Amazon is completely cutting the cord on Alexa for auto. If true, Apple would be an obvious company to talk to.

But this is all speculation with a lack or real information.

 

[beyondgravity]

There is a WALL STREET JOURNAL ARTICLE that states something like "when Apple comes calling" The essence of the article is that if you are a small company and you have a good idea, than you will lose all you employees for Apple buys them out and suddenly your new idea is a Apple product. The heart rate monitor on their watch is an example and is in the courts. I can see the Rivian info system being an Apple product and than all the Android folks will need to switch for full use of the system. Will Apple and Google control the world? Apple working with Rivian scares me. Can you imagine a RIS with a apple logo? Kind of lame...

I do see Apple as an ethical company and use iPhone with minimal apps. So I think philosophy of Rivian and Apple collaborating is exciting for me.

 

[kurtlikevonnegut]

I do see Apple as an ethical company and use iPhone with minimal apps. So I think philosophy of Rivian and Apple collaborating is exciting for me.

I wouldn't exactly call Apple "ethical" considering their manufacturing process ties to forced Uygher labor.

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

I do see Apple as an ethical company and use iPhone with minimal apps. So I think philosophy of Rivian and Apple collaborating is exciting for me.

Hah... no. Especially not on the manufacturing side. Specifically, the manufacturers they contract in Asia (look up articles regarding suicides, working/living conditions at those factories and morale of those workers). Ever DIY fix an iPhone? All the intricate ribbon connectors? Imagine yourself being paid very little, working 10-12 hour shifts doing nothing but assemble iPhones over and over at a high pace. Then, after your shift, returning to the tiny factory dorm room which you share with 4 or 6 others. And the "kitchen" is a single hotplate on the floor. All the while, your loved ones are in a different province, whom you get to see only during the lunar new year holiday breaks. Apple is more "ethical" in terms of data privacy. And that's only because of their walled-garden ecosystem of products and services, they are able to keep data "private" within that ecosystem. Outside parties who want access to that data has to agree to their legal and financial terms. Apple gets to keep control, get paid, and you get a sense of security because they say you are "safe".

For-profit organizations are rarely fully ethical (not even Patagonia). Some are just worse than others. It's a relative term. Some of your consumer impression could be attributed to their pure-white brand aesthetic; consumer psychology and marketing go hand-in-hand. I work in advertising (including two stints at different agencies that serviced Apple).

PS—Android users, no need to be smug. Those phones/tablets are made exactly the same way.

Sponsored