In the last two months I've become substantially more credulous that the U.S. might lose the competition to make autonomous vehicle progress fastest. I don't kn

In the last two months I've become substantially more credulous that the U.S. might lose the competition to make autonomous vehicle progress fastest. I don't know how exactly to weight the relative likelihood between countries, but there is a non-trivial chance that the Trump administration can be bribed to create regulatory impediments to various actors. For example, it would be very easy in the current environment for, say, Ford to bribe the Trump administration to kneecap some aspect of Tesla's approach. Likewise, it would be very easy (and may already be happening) that foreign governments are bribing the new administration in order to disadvantage American companies in various ways related to trade, regulation etc. I'm not saying we have any means of knowing if this is happening or will happen, but it is worth noting that the lack of a "trustworthy government pursuing American public interest in good faith" should have a non-trivial effect on any predictions related to relative technological progress among countries.