Google and Uber, the two giants at the forefront of developing the technology, are vying to own the emerging market and to suck up the profits.
The stakes are high and the fight is already getting personal, with Google accusing one of its star engineers of stealing some of its crown jewels.
Last month, Waymo, the self-driving company owned by Google's parent company Alphabet, sued Uber, claiming that one of its employees stole vital technology shortly before starting his own self-driving company (which Uber later acquired).
Autonomous cars have the potential to upend massive industries ranging from transportation to auto manufacturing. For Google and Uber, the opportunity and the threat posed by a world of self-driving vehicles is huge.