• Uber and Volkswagen of America are teaming up to deploy Volkswagen’s ID. BUZZ microbus as a commercial robotaxi fleet, launching in Los Angeles in 2026 with human safety operators and transitioning to full autonomy in 2027. The partnership builds on Uber’s strategy of integrating others’ autonomous systems into its ride-hail network, adding to existing deals with Waymo, WeRide, Avride, and Nvidia.

Uber and Volkswagen of America are teaming up to launch a new commercial robotaxi network built around Volkswagen’s all-electric ID. BUZZ microbuses.

The companies plan to roll out the fleet in multiple U.S. cities over the next decade, starting with Los Angeles in 2026.

Before going fully driverless in 2027, each vehicle will carry a human safety operator as Volkswagen of America’s autonomous arm (VW ADMT) works through California’s regulatory process. Testing in Los Angeles is slated to begin later this year, as soon as VW ADMT’s initial permit arrives.

VW ADMT itself debuted publicly in July 2023 with a 10-van ID. BUZZ fleet in Austin, using technology from partner Mobileye.

“Volkswagen is not just a car manufacturer—we are shaping the future of mobility, and our collaboration with Uber accelerates that vision,” Christian Senger, CEO of Volkswagen Autonomous Mobility said in a statement. “What really sets us apart is our ability to combine the best of both worlds—high-volume manufacturing expertise with cutting-edge technology and a deep understanding of urban mobility needs.”

MOIA, a Volkswagen AG brand, will supply the complete hardware and software package, including the electric ID. Buzz AD vehicles and the back-end fleet-management system that powers the service on Uber’s platform.

“This collaboration marks a significant milestone in the advancement of autonomous mobility, and highlights both Volkswagen’s and Uber’s shared dedication to building the future of transportation,” said Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of Uber. “We can’t wait to launch in Los Angeles late next year."

Uber's autonomous fleet

Uber has pursued a partnership-first strategy when it comes to autonomous driving, opting to integrate others’ autonomous systems into its ride-hail network rather than field its own robotaxi fleet.

The ride-hailing company already dispatches Waymo’s fully driverless Jaguar I-PACE vehicles in Austin—and will add Atlanta later this year—under a deal in which Uber handles charging, cleaning, and customer access, while Waymo remains responsible for the “Waymo Driver” technology and roadside assistance.

Beyond Waymo and VW, Uber has also inked deals with Avride, China’s WeRide, and technology provider Nvidia.

By partnering rather than competing directly, Uber leverages its platform to give its AV partners instant access to riders, while avoiding the regulatory complexity of developing self-driving systems in-house.

The company pulled back on efforts to develop its own autonomous driving tech, notably selling its Advanced Technologies Group to Aurora in 2020.

The ride-hailing giant is expecting some competition from Tesla, which recently announced plans to roll out its robotaxi or “Cybercab.” Tesla plans to begin trialing the Cybercab in Austin in June of this year.

Fleets of autonomous vehicles have the potential to significantly lower costs for ride-hailing companies like Uber and their customers, but these potential savings are still a long way off.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

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• Meta is cracking down on spam content on Facebook. The company said on Thursday it was taking "aggressive steps on Facebook to prevent" spam networks. The move is part of Zuckerberg's broader goal to restore the “OG Facebook” experience.

Meta is taking steps to reduce spammy content on Facebook as part of Mark Zuckerberg’s push to restore Facebook to its “OG” roots.

On Thursday, the company announced it was cracking down on spam content that was crowding out authentic creators and “hurting” the Facebook experience.

Meta said that accounts "gaming distribution and engagement" will see fewer views and monetization. This includes posts with unrelated captions and excessive hashtags.

Meta also said it was taking "aggressive steps on Facebook to prevent" spam networks that aim to generate fake engagement. The company said it was testing a comments feature so people can signal irrelevant comments that don’t fit the spirit of the conversation. 

The company said it was part of an effort to make the Facebook Feed more relevant to users and help creators break through on the platform.

"We’ve heard you. Facebook Feed doesn’t always serve up fresh, engaging posts that you consistently enjoy. We’re working on it. We’re making a number of changes this year to improve Feed, help creators break through and give people more control over how content is personalized to them," the company said in a blog post.

The changes may also be an effort to crack down on AI slop, which refers to low-effort, mass-produced AI-generated content. The rise of this kind of AI content can clog feeds and degrade user experience as platforms driven by engagement algorithms end up prioritizing whatever content generates clicks and views, regardless of quality.

AI slop floods user feeds with repetitive or irrelevant posts, making it harder for authentic human voices or meaningful content to surface. This kind of “digital clutter” could pose an issue for social media companies by driving users away rather than keeping them engaged.

"OG Facebook"

The changes are part of Zuckerberg's broad aim to take Facebook back to its roots of authentic and meaningful content. In a January earnings call, he said returning the platform to "OG Facebook" was one of Meta's key goals for the year.

“I think there are a lot of opportunities to make [Facebook] way more culturally influential than it is today,” he said at the time.

The move follows Meta's introduction of a revamped "Friends" tab for Facebook that only showcases updates from accounts users are connected to.

Zuckerberg's fears over Facebook's cultural relevance

Emails made public as part of Meta's trial with the FTC show that Zuckerberg has been worried about Facebook's waning cultural relevance for some time.

The CEO even suggested wiping everyone's Facebook friends and making users start again to boost the platform’s relevance.

“Option 1. Double down on Friending,” Zuckerberg wrote in a 2022 message to senior Meta executives. “One potentially crazy idea is to consider wiping everyone’s graphs and having them start again.”

Tom Alison, the head of Facebook at the time, cautioned that such a move could undermine critical platform functionality, particularly on Instagram.

Though the proposal was never implemented, as Zuckerberg noted in court, the email reveals how concerned Meta was with remaining competitive in a rapidly evolving digital landscape.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

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• Google is telling some remote workers to return to the office three days a week or risk losing their jobs. The move aligns with a broader shift towards in-office work for productivity and collaboration in Silicon Valley.

Google has told some remote workers that their jobs could be at risk if they don't start attending the office three days per week.

Several Google units, including remote employees in Google Technical Services and People Operations, were told they needed to return to the nearest office on a hybrid schedule, according to internal documents obtained by CNBC.

Remote workers in Google Technical Services were told that they should switch to a hybrid office schedule or take a voluntary exit package, per a recent notice, while human resources workers were told they must choose to attend the office on a hybrid schedule or their roles will be eliminated, according to an internal memo.

Remote employees in the Google Technical Services are being offered a one-time paid relocation expense to move within 50 miles of an office, per CNBC.

The move is part of a wider shift toward in-person work within Silicon Valley.

Most major tech companies have reversed course on the fully remote schedules offered to employees during the COVID-19 pandemic, requiring workers to be in the office at least three days per week.

Google has been cracking down on workers who try to dodge return-to-office mandates.

At the beginning of the year, some remote workers were told to take voluntary buyouts if they didn't return to the nearest office at least three days a week.

In February, Sergey Brin, a Google co-founder who has returned to help lead the company's AI efforts, urged workers to be in the office "at least" every weekday.

In an internal memo, he told employees working on Google's flagship AI model, Gemini, that “60 hours a week is the sweet spot of productivity."

Google representatives did not immediately respond to Fortune's request for comment. However, a Google spokesperson told CNBC: “As we’ve said before, in-person collaboration is an important part of how we innovate and solve complex problems."

“To support this, some teams have asked remote employees that live near an office to return to in-person work three days a week," Google representative Courtenay Mencini said.

Return-to-office push

Big Tech companies have been increasingly pushing to do more with less for the last year.

Efficiency has become the name of the game in Silicon Valley, with companies looking to downsize on headcount while increasingly incorporating AI into workflows.

At the same time, there's also been a push to get workers back into the office, with companies citing productivity gains and increased collaboration.

Some experts, however, have suggested that these RTO pushes may serve another purpose, which is to encourage employees to resign of their own accord.

Commercial real estate markets have also felt the impact of widespread remote work.

Office vacancy rates in major U.S. metros have climbed above 20%, driving landlords to cut rents and repurpose space for residential or mixed-use developments.

This downturn has also intensified pressure on companies to fill empty floors and justify costly leases.

While companies including Google and Meta operate a hybrid schedule, with most employees expected to attend the office three days per week, some tech companies have gone even further.

Both Amazon and X, formerly known as Twitter, require workers to be in the office five days per week.

This story was originally featured on Fortune.com

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