young and fabulous

30 under 30: Forbes' annual list singles out several Texans (and a few tweens)

Forbes' "30 Under 30" list included individuals from across twelve categories,including several Housonians.
Photo via Forbes.com
Bobby Heugel was selected under "Food & Wine" for his work creating Anvil.
Photo by Debora Smail/RealityPhotography.net
Houston's Andrew Luck was one of three athletes featured.

Are you having a good day? Well, get ready for your self-esteem to plummet.

Forbes has assembled a list of the top "30 under 30" people who are changing the world in fields as diverse as music, technology and finance, and it comes as no surprise that several Texans are on the list.

Our most famous representative is probably 22-year-old Andrew Luck, the former star of Houston's Stratford High who was the Heisman Trophy runner up (for the second straight year) and the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Year as Stanford University's quarterback. Luck is one of three athletes on the entertainment list, sharing space with LeBron James and tennis star Caroline Wozniacki.

There's a 15-year-old media mogul on the list, a 17-year-old inventor from Dallas and several entrepreneurs who aren't legally allowed to drink alcohol.

On the food and wine list is drinks guru Bobby Heugel, 28. Already a James Beard semifinalist in 2011, Forbes singled out Heugel's impressive cocktail list at Houston's Anvil Bar & Refuge. And as the self-proclaimed energy capital of the world, it's no surprise that Houston is the home of several professionals on the energy list. Dave Berry, 28, is the co-founder of Clean Line Energy Partners. Fellow Rice alum Jeff Bishop, 29, made the list as Vice President of Business Development at EDP Renewables, with wind projects in Morocco, Spain, Botswana and the U.S. under his belt. Twenty-six-year-old Thomas Steiner, a project manager who "works directly with top execs" at deepwater driller Rowan Companies, also made the Forbes list.

Still feeling pretty good about yourself? There's a 15-year-old media mogul on the list, a 17-year-old inventor from Dallas and several entrepreneurs who aren't legally allowed to drink alcohol.

The list also includes musicians Adele (23) and Justin Bieber (17); and did you know that Drake, Lady Gaga and Florence Welch are all 25? On the Entertainment side, buzzed-about screenwriter Lena Dunham (25) and actor Jonah Hill (28) appear alongside Will Smith's 13-year-old son Jaden. The Media section is solid, singling out some of the most accomplished writers and moguls out there, like College Humor's Sam Reich (27), The New York Times' Brian Stelter (28) and The Hairpin's Edith Zimmerman (28).

Yeah, we're not sure what we've been doing with our lives, either.

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Self-driving Roller Coaster

More self-driving cars expected to roll out in Austin for 2025

Photo courtesy of Waymo via KVUE

Various brands offering self-driving cars are on-and-off in Austin.

Expect to see more self-driving rideshare vehicles, also known as robotaxis, on Austin roads next year.

Robotaxi company Waymo, which you may have already seen on Austin's roads, is partnering with Uber. At some point next year, customers will be able to use the Uber app to call a self-driving ride.

Austin-based company Avride is in the testing phase and plans to roll out its robotaxis next year.

Currently, Volkswagen ADMT and Amazon's Zoox are in the testing phase in Austin, while Hyundai's Motional is in the mapping phase.

Last year, robotaxi company Cruise paused operations in Austin after the California Department of Motor Vehicles revoked the company's permits to operate driverless vehicles in the state. And last week, General Motors said it would no longer fund the company because of the time and resources needed.

This way of getting around has come with its safety concerns and issues. The city is tracking those concerns. According to the Transportation Department, the problems span from blocking the roads and parking in front of people's homes for weeks with lights beaming through their windows, to actual wrecks.

Since July 2023, robotaxis have been involved in 75 incidents. Only 21 of those incidents happened in 2024. It's important to note that Cruise has not been operating in Austin this year.

Since July 2023, driverless rideshare vehicles have been involved in 22 near collisions, eight collisions and seven instances where driverless taxis ignored directions from the Austin Police Department (APD).

According to the data, at least four of those Austin police incidents happened in recent months. The issues varied from driving through police checkpoints, to malfunctioning and getting stuck at an APD road closure near pedestrians, causing safety concerns.

A Waymo spokesperson said their vehicles have gesture recognition capabilities, which they've been training APD officers on using.

As the report shows, sometimes it does not work and Waymo said it is working to improve that. The spokesperson said that as of just last week, Waymo's First Responder Program has been independently verified by TÜV SÜD, making Waymo the first autonomous vehicle (AV) company to receive third-party validation for our emergency response protocols. They also said the data to date indicates the Waymo Driver is already reducing traffic injuries and fatalities in the places where the company currently operates.

Read the full story and watch the video at KVUE.com.

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