Waymo

Waymo has captured significant shares of ride spending in mature markets like San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix, with data showing Waymo taking between 15% and 19% of rider bookings. Experts suggest that the impact of this growth on human drivers will not appear as sudden layoffs but rather through changes in utilization, such as longer waits or fewer trips per hour.

The podcast explores what Lyft is building in Nashville to support Waymo’s car fleet, noting that the rollout of autonomous cabs involves a partnership between competitors. The segment also covers local news for Aug. 13, 2026, and examines the impact of data centers on power bills.

Robotaxi content creator David Moss documented that Tesla and Waymo are increasing production for their autonomous vehicle fleets. In Mesa, Arizona, Waymo was spotted retrofitting the Ojai platform with sensors, while near Dallas Love Field Airport, a lot stored more than 100 Tesla Cybercabs.

Robotaxi companies like Waymo, Tesla, and Zoox are rapidly scaling their operations across multiple US locations, including expanding services in Dallas and Las Vegas. Beyond the US, Uber and Wayve have received approval for supervised autonomous rides in London, with Waymo also planning a commercial service there. However, experts caution that this fast pace of growth will lead to increased exposure to complex 'edge cases' and technical problems.

Waymo has launched its fully autonomous driverless ride-hailing service for all Dallas residents and visitors, ending the waitlist. The company is continuing testing for future routes, including freeways and airports.

San Francisco's July 4th experienced chaos due to rushed planning and Muni's unpreparedness for a surge in riders. The incident involved dead Waymo autonomous vehicles and over 1,000 people waiting for a bus.

Waymo co-CEO Dmitri Dolgov argues that physical AI, like self-driving cars, requires prioritizing safety over speed due to the high cost of errors, contrasting with Silicon Valley's 'move fast and break things' approach. He highlights recent AI security breaches and recalls in the autonomous vehicle industry as examples of the need for robust safety measures in physical AI systems.

DoorDash is paying gig workers to load its Dot delivery robots, as the robots cannot autonomously retrieve restaurant orders. The company uses this method during busy periods to meet demand, with workers handling the final steps of placing orders into the robots. DoorDash's CEO acknowledged challenges in scaling autonomous deliveries, highlighting the need for human intervention in specific tasks.

Residents of a California beach town achieved a victory after being disturbed by noise from a Waymo charging station. The locals, described as 'fed-up,' successfully addressed the issue causing nighttime disruptions.

Uber and Waymo are in conflict over autonomous vehicle (AV) deployment, with a labor battle emerging in Washington, D.C. The dispute centers on the future of mass AV implementation in the capital.

Federal regulators are allowing robotaxis to operate without steering wheels, with Amazon's Zoox approved to charge customers for rides in specially designed autonomous vehicles. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also proposed rules to permit robotaxis without brake pedals, as companies like Zoox and Tesla aim to compete with Waymo in advancing autonomous vehicle technology.

Federal regulators are approving robotaxis to operate without steering wheels and potentially without brake pedals. Amazon's Zoox has received approval to charge customers for rides in autonomous vehicles, pending state and local approvals, and plans to scale production to 10,000 units annually. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also proposed a rule to allow brake-pedal-free robotaxis, while Zoox competes with Waymo in autonomous vehicle development.

Federal regulators are allowing robotaxis to operate without steering wheels, with potential approval for brake pedal removal pending. Amazon's Zoox received clearance to charge for rides in its autonomous vehicles, while NHTSA aims to support safe innovation in autonomous vehicle technology.

Waymo is launching a new vehicle platform called Ojai, featuring a revamped in-car UI powered by Google’s Gemini. The platform is currently being tested in Nashville and will expand to other cities with human specialists. Ojai introduces the 6th-generation Waymo Driver, marking an upgrade from the current Waymo One Jaguar I-PACE model.

A self-driving Waymo vehicle stopped at a green light before proceeding when the light turned red, raising questions about whether the incident was the vehicle's fault.

A Waymo self-driving car stops at a green light and later runs a red light, raising questions about fault.

A judge ordered Waymo to halt overnight operations at Santa Monica charging stations due to resident complaints about noise, light, and traffic. The court action follows claims that the autonomous vehicle company's round-the-clock use of the stations is disrupting nearby communities.

A judge ordered Waymo to stop using Santa Monica charging stations overnight due to resident complaints about noise, light, and traffic. The autonomous vehicle company had been operating the stations around the clock, disrupting nearby residents.

A judge ordered Waymo to cease overnight operations at Santa Monica charging stations due to resident complaints about noise, light, and traffic. The autonomous vehicle company had been using the stations around the clock, prompting legal action.

A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge has ordered Waymo to cease overnight operations at two Santa Monica charging facilities while the city's public nuisance lawsuit against the company proceeds. The preliminary injunction prohibits operations at 1222 Broadway and 1310 Broadway between 11 p.m. and an unspecified time.

Federal lawmakers are proposing new standards to prevent autonomous vehicles like Waymo from obstructing emergency responders, following incidents in San Francisco. The initiative aims to address safety concerns highlighted by Waymo's operations in the area.

Mayor Lurie supports a bill proposed by Rep. Kevin Mullin that mandates autonomous vehicle companies to improve their performance during emergencies. The bill aims to establish federal regulations for the robotaxi industry.

Waymo is launching its robotaxi service in Denver by the end of the year, following months of supervised testing. The company operates fleets of 300-800 vehicles across 10 cities, offering 500,000 weekly rides, but faces challenges like higher pricing compared to Uber and Lyft, public skepticism, and safety concerns after reporting 1,700 crashes since 2021.

BDT & MSD Partners, managing Michael Dell's fortune, is expanding into tech investments by hiring Goldman Sachs' Darren Cohen to lead a new tech fund. The firm raised a $832 million technology fund last year and has stakes in companies like OpenAI, Waymo, and Helsing, signaling a shift from its previous strategy of diversifying away from technology.

A woman was critically injured in a two-car crash on Venice Boulevard in Southern California. A car struck a pedestrian pushing a cart before colliding with an autonomous Waymo vehicle.

A woman was critically injured in a two-car crash on Venice Boulevard in Southern California when a car struck her while she was pushing a cart across the street, causing it to swerve into the opposite lane and collide with a Waymo autonomous vehicle.

Multiple people were injured in a collision involving Waymo near downtown Los Angeles. Waymo stated its vehicle is not at fault, and LAPD confirmed an ongoing investigation.

Multiple people were injured in a collision involving Waymo near downtown Los Angeles. Waymo stated its vehicle is not at fault, and LAPD confirmed an ongoing investigation into the incident.

A two-car crash involving a Waymo vehicle in Los Angeles' Pico-Union neighborhood hospitalized two people early Sunday, as confirmed by the Los Angeles Fire Department and a Waymo spokesperson. The collision occurred at 5:45 a.m. on Venice Boulevard in the 1000 block.

A two-car crash involving a Waymo vehicle occurred in the Pico-Union area of Los Angeles, resulting in one person being hospitalized, according to authorities.

Waymo driverless cars experienced 68% fewer crashes than human drivers over three years across four U.S. cities, according to data from the U.S. Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The study highlights the safety performance of autonomous vehicles compared to human-operated ones.

Waymo is reportedly considering ending its partnership with Uber. The current contract between the two companies is set to expire in May 2028, according to Uber's statement to TechCrunch.

Waymo is considering a split from Uber as their partnership deteriorates due to a lobbying battle over autonomous vehicle deployment. The tension highlights conflicts in advancing robotaxi technology.

Tesla's Robotaxi service now operates in seven US markets, with six offering unsupervised rides. The company reported 2.5 million cumulative paid miles, over 380,000 unsupervised miles, and weekly mileage growth exceeding 10%.

A man stole a $4,000 Sony camera from a Facebook Marketplace seller in downtown Miami and fled using a Waymo driverless vehicle. The victim, Aiden Chappell, met the thief in person but was unable to recover the stolen equipment, which is critical to his work as a content creator. Miami Police Department detectives are collaborating with Waymo to identify the suspect.

SB 1246 proposes fines for autonomous vehicle companies that fail to move stalled cars. Waymo and the robotaxi industry oppose the legislation due to its regulatory requirements.

Waymo confirmed its driverless cars are operating autonomously in Charlotte, with a specialist present behind the wheel. The company plans to transition to autonomous operations for employees before introducing public rider services, but has not yet provided an official start date for full autonomous service.

A study by Hunter College and Open Plans found that autonomous robotaxis in NYC could be 1.5 times more likely to cause traffic crashes with deaths or serious injuries per million miles driven compared to human for-hire drivers. The report challenges claims by AV companies like Waymo and Tesla that robotaxis would improve safety and reduce congestion, citing data comparisons between Waymo's operations and NYC for-hire vehicle statistics.

A New York City pilot of Waymo robotaxis found that they were involved in more serious crashes per mile compared to the city's for-hire fleet, including Uber and taxi drivers.

Waymo paused operations in areas affected by a San Francisco power outage caused by malfunctioning substation equipment. The outage initially impacted 9,400 PG&E customers, with about 2,500 still without power by 3 p.m. Saturday.