Rivian's new joint venture with the Volkswagen Group—where the startup gets up to $5 billion and the German giant gets needed software help—has been an eye-opening moment. It helps to solidify the theory that new automotive startups can succeed more as software-based companies that build cars rather than the traditional automaker model. And Rivian's new zone-based architecture, the cornerstone of the Software-Defined Vehicle (SDV), could be the company's key to success. Now we know more about how this deal came to be.
