Description
David Liu, CEO of PlusAI joined Grayson Brulte on The Road to Autonomy podcast to discus taking the company public and their strategic roadmap for commercializing autonomous trucking. As Plus AI prepares to complete their merger with Churchill Capital Corp IX in early February, the conversation explores the shift from fleet trials to an asset-light software model that empowers Traton to build factory-integrated autonomous trucks powered by the Plus virtual driver. By training a single AI driver on a vast, globally diverse dataset, encompassing conditions from snowy Sweden to the Texas Triangle, Plus AI is developing a scalable technology stack designed to safely automate the global freight industry, as the company targets a 2027 commercial launch. Episode Chapters 0:00 Going Public 1:33 Fleet Trials 6:01 Driver-Out Decision 7:56 Traton Partnership 11:27 Redundant Chassis 14:01 Public Milestones 16:43 Asset Ownership 18:14 Expanding in Spain and Japan 23:00 Real-world Driving Data 26:16 Simulation 27:43 Alpha Data 29:02 Traton R&D Investment 33:01 What to Watch For as PlusAI Goes Public Recorded on Friday, January 23, 2026 -------- About The Road to Autonomy The Road to Autonomy provides market intelligence and strategic advisory services to institutional investors and companies, delivering insights needed to stay ahead of emerging trends in the autonomy economy™. To learn more, say hello (at) roadtoautonomy.com. Sign up for This Week in The Autonomy Economy newsletter: https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/ae/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info .