Yo, what's good tech bro dan sis! Kalian tau nggak sih, industri eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) lagi bikin gebrakan besar-besaran banget minggu ini. two companies besar baru aja announce deals yang basically mengubah entire landscape of urban air mobility. Let's gas straight ke news-nya!
Archer Aviation + Wisk Aero: From Frenemies to Family
Siapa sangka, rival yang dulu saling gigit sekarang malah satu atap. Archer Aviation [https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/10/archer-buys-former-rival-wisk-aero/] baru aja宣布 (oke pakai English: announced) bahwa mereka acquiring Wisk Aero, subsidiary Boeing yang dulunya adalah joint venture antara Boeing sama Kitty Hawk — startup electric aviation legendary yang led by Sebastian Thrun (co-founder Google X) dan backing dari Larry Page.
Ceritanya straight up like a K-drama: Wisk pernah sue Archer di 2021 atas alleged "theft" confidential information dan IP. Kasus ini jalan dua tahun dan Archer even counter-sued minta $1 billion [https://techcrunch.com/2021/08/11/archer-aviation-is-seeking-1b-in-damages-from-wisk-aero-as-legal-dispute-escalates/] damages — talk about red flag behavior! Tapi yah, settle-nya nggak ngk. They ended up collaborating dan skrg malah fully merge. Boeing sekarang pegang 16.5% stake di Archer dan dapat tiga anak perusahaan: Wisk Aero, SkyGrid (digital airspace management), dan Insitu (drone maker).
Joby Aviation Goes Defense Mode
Meanwhile, Joby Aviation [https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/11/joby-aviation-builds-out-defense-business-with-500m-acquisition/] juga nggak mau kalah. Mereka acquire Resonant Sciences for $500 million buat bentuk divisi defense yang dinamai "Joby Defense" — literally sound like something from a sci-fi movie. Resonant Sciences specialize in radio frequency dan sensor systems, yang basically cocok banget buat defense applications. Joby tetap optimize untuk mission awal mereka sebagai urban air taxi, tapi they see opportunity gede di defense sector. Revenue is revenue, kan?
A Little Bird: Uber Sold Its Serve Robotics Stake
Nah ini yang surprising banget. Uber selling seluruh stakes mereka di Serve Robotics — autonomous delivery robot company yang spin out dari Uber lebih dari lima tahun lalu. According to sources [https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/11/uber-surprised-robotics-company-serve-by-selling-its-entire-stake/], Serve Robotics even surprised sama keputusan ini dan baru tau pas regulatory filing posted. Tapi tenang aja, Uber sama Serve masih business partners dan contract mereka di Uber Eats app masih jalan sampai 2027.
Other Deals & Tidbits
- Uber invests in Galgo — fintech Chile yang specialize in motorcycle loans [https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2026-08-12/uber-invests-in-chilean-fintech-in-push-into-motorcycle-lending]
- Yulu raised $93 million [https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/11/indias-yulu-raises-93m-as-quick-commerce-boom-fuels-e-bike-demand/] (electric mobility startup India)
- Aurora Innovation dan Kodiak AI dapat permits buat test self-driving trucks di California highways [https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/14/self-driving-trucks-are-officially-testing-on-california-highways/]
- Avride surpassed 100,000 autonomous rides di Uber app Dallas
- Waymo expanding in California — now bisa operate commercially di SF Bay Area dan LA
- Pony.ai + Uber plans to bring 2,000 robotaxis ke four European cities [https://techcrunch.com/2026/08/14/uber-and-pony-ai-plan-to-bring-2000-robotaxis-to-europe/]
Geek Opinion
Honestly, industri eVTOL lagi di fase yang very interesting abis. Konsolidasi kayak Archer + Wisk ini menunjukkan bahwa market lagi mature dan companies are picking sides. Yang unik sih sebenernya sejarah Wisk Aero — dari Kitty Hawk (yang closure di 2022) sampai skrg jadi bagian dari Archer. Talk about a glow-up journey.
Defense angle dari Joby juga smart move dari business perspective. Government contracts = steady revenue stream, which is crucial pas kamu still dalam process panjang certification dan regulatory approvals. Meanwhile, Uber's move dengan Serve Robotics shows that even big players sometimes pivot away from their previous bets.
One thing's clear: the future of mobility is getting more interesting by the day. Whether it's flying taxis, self-driving trucks, atau delivery robots — we're living in the future dan it's pretty wild.
What do you think bro/sis? Which eVTOL company paling promising menurut lo? Drop your thoughts!
