Axios

Even if fully autonomous vehicles are still years away, automakers are rolling out automatic braking, computer-guided lane changing and other features that try to make conventional cars smarter and safer.

Why it matters: Tech continues to advance even as consumer demand lags behind the industry’s pace of investment. How consumers use or misuse, embrace or reject these features — and what impact they have on safety — will determine the course of AV development as much as the tech itself.

For a year, the term "superstar" — in a business context — has referred to outsized cities, companies and individuals who stand heads and shoulders above their peers in terms of achievements like wealth and stature.

Over the coming year, look for the description to assume a more pejorative connotation, as "superstar" and "inequality" meld into one negative new zeitgeist. 

Amazon's senior vice president of devices and services, Dave Limp, told The Verge that more than 100 million Alexa-enabled devices have been sold.

The big picture: That number puts Alexa significantly behind other intelligent assistants like the Google Assistant and Siri, which are pre-installed on cellphones, but Limp said he isn't worried about competitiveness with other products. He said there will be "multiple players in the foreseeable future," and he doesn't think "there's going to be one winner." He also told The Verge he believes in "multiple assistants" and having them "interact in lots of different ways."

Verily, a life sciences research and engineering organization formed by Google parent Alphabet, announced Thursday that it has raised $1 billion in new equity funding from Silver Lake, Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan and "other global investment management firms."

Why it's a big deal: Because it suggests that Alphabet is open to eventually spinning Verily out as an independent company.

Liz Fong-Jones, a longtime Google engineer known for speaking out on a wide range of employee concerns, is leaving the tech giant to work at a startup.

Why it matters: Fong-Jones was early to challenge her employer on a range of issues from sexual harassment to its work on controversial projects.

One AV trend set to pick up speed in 2019 is universities, cities and transit agencies piloting autonomous shuttles and circulators, typically carrying 10–12 passengers, to provide first- and last-mile links to other transit options.

Why it matters: These programs will be a chance to test AVs in new situations and environments, shape public perception of AV technology, and assess needed infrastructure improvements.

Ride-share congestion at airports, stadiums and shopping malls may be foreshadowing the chaos at popular destinations if AVs begin making most pickups and dropoffs.

The big picture: As transportation options diversify to include more car-sharing, ride-sharing and AVs, cities will need to invest in new infrastructure to keep traffic flowing safely and smoothly at transportation hubs and other high-activity areas.