Kodiak CEO: Achieving Autonomous Trucks is Just the First Step

This year is set to be a pivotal one for self-driving trucks. Alongside plans for deploying hundreds of autonomous big rigs and the expansion into robotaxis, Kodiak AI is gearing up to launch its fully driverless long-haul freight operation by the end of 2026. While robotaxis often steal the spotlight, driverless trucks are steadily advancing.

In a recent interview, Kodiak AI CEO Don Burnette emphasized that deploying autonomous trucks is just part of the equation. He pointed out that while many competitors are caught up in technical details like AI and mileage milestones, Kodiak is focused on the practicalities of running a business. This includes crucial considerations such as truck ownership, required uptime, and the logistics of what gets shipped.

“You quickly realize that it’s not just about whether the truck operates safely on the road … that’s just the starting point,” Burnette explained. “What really matters to customers is how efficiently and effectively I can get that truck into and out of my operation … and everything in between. And nobody talks about this either.”

Founded in 2018 by Burnette, a former member of Google’s self-driving car project, and Paz Eshel, Kodiak AI is developing self-driving trucks for highway, industrial, and defense applications. By 2025, the company’s trucks were already making driverless deliveries for Atlas Energy Solutions in the oil-rich Permian Basin, and they now operate 20 driverless trucks in that region. Kodiak AI went public through a reverse SPAC merger in September 2025.

Now, the company is ready to hit the open road. Burnette noted that Kodiak operates across various sectors, with a focus on industrial and off-road trucking, which he sees as a significant opportunity compared to traditional on-road autonomy. He describes these environments as “unstructured,” due to their complexity and unpredictability, which he believes has better prepared his trucks for more “structured” settings like highways.

“We plan to pull the driver by the end of the year,” Burnette stated. “Remember, the product isn’t valuable unless it’s driverless.”

However, Kodiak must first finalize its safety case, which involves extensive data collection, virtual simulations, and a comprehensive risk mitigation plan. Burnette credits his team’s experience at Waymo for shaping their rigorous safety approach.

Kodiak is also taking a unique route with its business model. Instead of relying on OEMs to provide autonomous-ready trucks, Burnette mentioned that Kodiak is developing an aftermarket solution in collaboration with companies like Roush Industries and Bosch. This strategy allows them to produce fully compliant, automotive-grade trucks and scale effectively once the technology is ready. Consequently, the 20 trucks Kodiak has delivered so far are owned and operated by its customers, not by Kodiak itself.

This ownership model sets Kodiak apart from its competitors, including Waymo. Burnette argues that when customers own the vehicles, they prioritize key metrics like utilization, uptime, maintenance, and revenue. This raises the bar for reliability and operational performance.

“When a customer owns the vehicle, it has to work,” Burnette said. “Customers expect the truck to function all the time. You need to meet that standard before you can truly sell a truck to the customer.”

In contrast, when the autonomous vehicle developer owns the truck, they can manage deployments without the same concerns about real-world functionality.

“Those are their own trucks,” he remarked about his rivals. “So if they only work one day a week or for just a few hours, nobody cares … They’re still driverless and can claim victory. But that wouldn’t fly with a customer. That’s not a real product.”

Burnette doesn’t hold back when discussing his competitors. When asked if Kodiak would expand into robotaxis, he quipped, “Did they have a product before they existed?” He believes Kodiak is ahead in real-world deployment and operational rigor, suggesting that many autonomous vehicle companies focus on flashy technology and visuals without delivering a usable, customer-owned product.

“They produce great videos … they’ve got snazzy visuals,” he noted about his competitors.

He insists that most companies haven’t tackled what he calls the third pillar: making autonomy genuinely usable in real workflows. This involves integrating driverless trucks into customer operations, managing the complexities of pickups and drop-offs, and providing monitoring and communication tools. While others concentrate on driving performance, Kodiak AI is addressing both driving and full-system integration.

“Nobody talks about this,” he concluded.