{"href":"https://api.simplecast.com/oembed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fa16z.simplecast.com%2Fepisodes%2Foutsmarting-uber-why-bolt-wins-in-europe-EfFQWvrq","width":444,"version":"1.0","type":"rich","title":"Outsmarting Uber: Why Bolt Wins in Europe","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_url":"https://image.simplecastcdn.com/images/0d97354a-306b-45f5-bf26-a8d81eef47ec/ed2664df-9371-438e-8baf-dd2ee0fdde87/thea16zshow-podcastcoverart-3000x3000.jpg","thumbnail_height":300,"provider_url":"https://simplecast.com","provider_name":"Simplecast","html":"<iframe src=\"https://player.simplecast.com/8ddf5f97-9707-46d2-97d3-7e53aeeea1f2\" height=\"200\" width=\"100%\" title=\"Outsmarting Uber: Why Bolt Wins in Europe\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\"></iframe>","height":200,"description":"What does it take to build a global mobility company from a country of just 1.3 million people?\n\nMarkus Villig, founder and CEO of Bolt, joins the show to share how he scaled from Estonia to 50+ countries, navigating early scrappy days, a near-bankruptcy from expanding too fast, and the hard-won lessons behind Bolt’s capital-efficient growth.\n\nThey also discuss building in Europe vs. the U.S., competing against much better-funded rivals, and why culture and ambition matter more than regulation.\n\nFinally, Markus lays out what’s next: autonomy, robotaxis, and why the future of mobility will be a hybrid of human drivers and self-driving fleets.\n"}