It is the moment a lot of investors have been waiting for. It is finally time for the Silicon Valley unicorns and ride-sharing giants to make their market debuts. Uber – the biggest name in the industry today – plans to make its initial public offering (IPO) in April. But Lyft, the smaller, more centrally-focused of the two, launched its pre-IPO “road show” this week. The stock is scheduled to start trading on the NASDAQ next Friday, March 29, under the symbol “LYFT.” Assuming all goes according to plan, Lyft will become the first-ever U.S. ride-hailing company to go public. These companies point us to one major trend – the growth of autonomous vehicles and the emergence of robo-taxis.

Full disclosure right up front: I’m not a pet guy. It’s just not my thing, and I’m too busy with my work. I’m on the road today heading to a cannabis conference in Indianapolis. I’ll be in Florida next week. I’m going to China later in the year. Travel is important to my stock research, so I wouldn’t have time to have a pet even if I wanted one. It’s not that I don’t like animals, and I don’t want to offend anyone who does. Based on the trends, that’s clearly a lot of people. At times, I’ve felt like I’m the only one who doesn’t have a pet. I bring this up because I want to ask all you dog owners out there… Is it true that “you can’t teach an old dog new tricks,” as the old saying goes?