How Gopuff And SpaceX’s XAI Are Reinventing Instant Shopping With “Go”

LeadershipCMO NetworkHow Gopuff And SpaceX’s XAI Are Reinventing Instant Shopping With “Go”ByDave Knox,Senior Contributor.Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Dave Knox is a writer focused on startups, tech, innovation, and CPG.Follow AuthorJun 12, 2026, 12:23pm EDTYakir Gola, co-founder of Gopuff, spent thirteen years building instant delivery infrastructure before launching Go, the first conversational voice AI in delivery.gopuffGopuff invented instant commerce. Thirteen years ago, two college sophomores started delivering everyday essentials in minutes, and that idea grew into a network of 460 microfulfillment centers across the US and UK, its own liquor licenses across 32 states plus ownership of the iconic BevMo! chain, millions of active customers, and strategic partnerships with brands like Starbucks. Having built the infrastructure, the company is now turning to a bigger question: what should shopping feel like in the age of AI?The answer is “Go,” built over a year of co-development with xAI, now the AI division of SpaceX, and it opens with the first conversational voice AI in delivery. You talk, it shops, your order arrives in minutes. When it launched, Elon Musk himself posted in support of it. I sat down with co-founder Yakir Gola to talk about what they’ve built and why it changes how people buy what they need.Dave Knox: You’ve spent thirteen years building Gopuff’s physical side, the infrastructure, supply chain, and assortment. What shifted your focus to the digital experience?Yakir Gola: My co-founder Raf and I started Gopuff to solve a problem we lived with in college. I was the only one with a car, so I was always running errands for friends. We figured there had to be a better way to get everyday essentials.For thirteen years we stayed obsessively focused on one thing: nailing instant delivery. It’s one of the hardest businesses in the world to get right. At our core, we’re retailers. Merchants. The whole culture ru...