Nearly 62 million people will be on the road. Here’s how to dodge the worst traffic.
🛻 I think he might be right: Waze’s cofounder thinks Gen Beta (those born from 2025 to around 2039) won’t ever touch a steering wheel. With Tesla and Waymo pushing robotaxis, Uri Levine says the future is all self-driving, and maybe mobile shoe stores. So yeah, traffic might just be a bunch of vans selling Crocs.
37 out of 50
That’s how many top news sites saw traffic drop after Google’s AI took the wheel. Despite wild headlines covering assassination attempts, election chaos and tariff wars, users stayed on the search page. Why? Google’s Gemini bot summarizes the news, grabs the eyeballs and leaves publishers ghosted like a bad Tinder date.
⏱️ Never be late again: Google Maps and Apple Maps are great at predicting traffic. Next time you need directions, look for the option to set your arrival time. The map app will let you know when you should leave home. Drive safe!
$4.20 flat fee
What it costs to ride Tesla’s new robotaxi in Austin, Texas. Right now, about 10 self-driving Model Ys are on the road, with a Tesla employee riding shotgun just in case. Elon says 1,000 more are coming in the next few months, with San Francisco and LA up next (paywall link). Good luck, traffic.
Search cannibalism: I called it three years ago. As the once search giant Google morphs into a chat-style (paywall link) “answer engine,” clicks are drying up and traffic is cratering all over. The Atlantic’s CEO said to assume “Google traffic drops to zero.” Google once said, “Don’t be evil.” Today, it reminds me of Goya’s “Saturn Devouring His Son.”
Floppy air control: Terrifying fun fact, U.S. air traffic control still partially runs on actual floppy disks and Windows 95. And yep, Newark’s had three major outages in five weeks. The FAA wants a $10B-ish tech glow-up, but politics and duct tape might kill the plan before takeoff. If Clippy pops up mid-landing, we’re all in God’s hands.
🚦 You have unpaid tolls: No, you don’t. DMVs in NY, FL, CA and elsewhere are warning about scammy texts pretending you owe traffic fines. They threaten to yank your license. Spoiler alert: It’s fake. Don’t click the links, unless you really want scammers to know your SSN.
1.2 million
Extra fast-food visits happen in LA County each year. Why? Sitting in traffic makes people way more likely to hit the drive-thru than the grocery store. Makes sense when the average American spends 37 minutes prepping food, and fast food takes under five. So much for that salad plan.
22%
That’s how much of its workforce Chegg is laying off because of AI. Students are skipping the homework-help site and heading straight to tools like ChatGPT. With traffic and subscriptions tanking, cutting costs will save up to $110 million by 2026. Study guides couldn’t prep them for this.
Canon event POV: You can now “walk” around Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge on Disney+, and there are zero stroller traffic jams. The new immersive POV special lets you explore Black Spire Outpost, spot Rey and Mando and vibe in theme park peace. It’s like a Disney vacation, minus $18 hot dogs and sunstroke.
Web traffic is tanking — May 10th, Hour 3
If your site traffic just dropped 40%, Google’s new AI Overviews could be the reason. Plus, the “Hawk Tuah” girl tries a rebrand and why free AI tools aren’t what they seem. And here’s a tip: never use your voiceprint at the bank.
💆🏻♀️ Luxury vehicles are turning into spas? Brands like Mercedes, Lincoln and BMW are going all-in on in-car wellness (paywall link). The Lincoln Nautilus, for example, has a “Rejuvenate” program with massage chairs, mood lighting and scent diffusers. Kale yeah, this is great! Because nothing says “I’m thriving” like getting aromatherapy in traffic.
🌐 Protecting undersea internet cables: I’m not sure if you know that they carry 95% of the world’s internet traffic and are a known target for sabotage. Now, there’s new tech that can “listen” for vibrations in the cable’s light signals — like if a diver touches it or a ship drags an anchor too close.
🚀 The age of exploration: The U.S. launched 145 rockets in 2024 and plans to be even busier this year. A “traffic jam” is forming at three key launchpads in Florida and California approved for big rockets. New spaceports might be coming to a city near you. Rockets reach orbit easiest when launched near the equator, and most are by the ocean.
$200 reward
For reporting traffic offenders. In Vietnam, chaotic roads caused 30 deaths per day last year, so authorities got creative. Anyone who turns in a rulebreaker gets 5 million dong (about $200), or 10% of the offender’s fine. No one’s cashed in yet because the fear of being reported actually has drivers following the rules. Snitches get riches.
How to avoid 4th of July traffic
This Independence Day, nearly 61 million people are expected to be on the roads, a record high. If you want to avoid getting stuck in traffic, here are some tips on when to drive.
Google Search is changing
Web traffic is dying, and now Google is putting AI answers at the top of its search results. What does this mean for your favorite websites? Plus, Uber’s new shuttle service, Tesla drivers ditch self-driving mode, and Jeff Bezos’ email etiquette.
🌐 My prediction from two years ago is coming true: Web traffic is dying. On Google Search, Gemini AI is spitting out answers with its AI Overview, meaning no clicks are required. Of course, publishers are making zero money from AI results. If you get any revenue from website searches, it’s time to pivot your strategy, like, yesterday.
The death of web traffic
Will the search engine be no more? Here’s what’s coming next, thanks to AI.