Waymo Now Operates Across 1,400+ Square Miles in 11 US Cities
Uber partner Avride is under investigation for self-driving crashes, What SF residents really think about self driving cars, and Waymo recalls 3,800 robotaxis.
This week’s edition is brought to you by Voltera, the infrastructure partner scaling autonomous fleet deployment.
Top Stories of the Week
Alphabet’s Waymo to add 200 square miles of coverage area to existing markets (link).
Waymo announced today that it’s expanding its coverage in several existing markets, including Miami, the San Francisco Bay Area, Houston, Austin, and Atlanta. That will bring its total coverage area to more than 1,400 square miles across 11 cities.
Other Stuff
‘Exclusive: Uber tries a different playbook with robotaxi policy push’ (link). Uber shared a new autonomous vehicle policy paper with Axios that addresses issues including job displacement, congestion, accessibility, and safety as the company pushes for broader robotaxi adoption. Uber says AV rollouts will require partnerships with cities, regulators, and workers, while arguing that human drivers and robotaxis are likely to coexist on the platform for many years. The company also noted that AV legislation has stalled in several states, even as Uber continues expanding its network of partnerships with autonomous vehicle developers.
One of the benefits of autonomy is that it won’t scale as quickly as early Uber did, which means a lot of the negative externalities can be mitigated with thoughtful policies and discussions. This paper is obviously full of pro Uber solutions to AV challenges, but it does raise a few interesting points.
I’ve been critical of Uber for not doing enough to address the impact of AVs on drivers, so it’s nice to see them starting to talk about it. And for the first time that I can remember, Uber acknowledges in this paper that work will change for drivers, something that’s long been discussed but never fully addressed. However, I’m not sure I buy that a hybrid only market is better for drivers than a fully AV driven market. To me, they both present similar challenges. The latter is just more directly competitive with Uber.
As autonomous vehicles begin operating alongside human drivers, they will influence work and earnings dynamics across markets. We believe overall demand for mobility will continue to grow. But we should be honest: in many cities, drivers will face fewer, or different, trip opportunities over time. Acknowledging that reality is a necessary starting point for handling the transition responsibly.
One important point in the paper is about regulatory arbitrage in cities (like NYC or Seattle), where protections and benefits are tied directly to fares. This mirrors what we often see with minimum wage increases. Well-intentioned policies designed to protect workers can sometimes unintentionally incentivize companies to replace human workers with technology. In this case, AV operators may be incentivized to prioritize markets with higher labor costs, not because those markets need autonomy most, but because replacing human drivers yields greater economic returns. This is concerning, as policies designed to protect workers could unintentionally accelerate their displacement.
Another noteworthy point is the credible risk that poorly managed AV deployment could increase congestion in dense city centers. Human driven rideshare networks inherently have a constraint: drivers weigh their time against potential earnings, so when demand drops, many log off. This is a fundamental way Uber matches supply with demand. AVs, however, don’t operate with that same natural constraint, which could lead to more cars on the road when they’re not needed.
Related: Uber has been taking direct — and indirect — shots at its partner, Waymo (link, no paywall).
Calls to pause Waymo’s London robotaxi trial after police cordon incident (link). So maybe they should ban human drivers?
A petition launched by Brent Green Party, the local Green Party for the borough, is urging the Mayor of London to pause the autonomous vehicle pilot after a Waymo test vehicle drove through a live police cordon on Harlesden High Street while officers were investigating a double stabbing on 22 April…Waymo confirmed the vehicle involved in the Harlesden incident was operating in manual mode “with a validation driver in full control”. The company said the driver has since been suspended pending an investigation.
Related: How Will London’s Driver Market Respond to Autonomous Vehicles? (link).
The unexpected superpower behind Lyft’s new AV depot: former drivers (link). Lyft clearly got the memo. Obviously this is good PR but it also makes a lot of sense to hire drivers to help with AV fleet operations.
Waymo CPUC Data Update (Q1’26) - Flat growth in California (link).
Police in Nashville can now issue Waymo traffic citations under new law (link).
Lucid-Uber Robotaxi Partner Nuro to Open First European Hub in Germany (link).
The Munich office will serve as Nuro’s European hub, supporting engineering, operations, and partner engagement, according to the Softbank-backed company. The European hub will allow Nuro to validate and adapt its technology for European driving conditions and regulatory frameworks.
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‘Waymo checking out the competition’ (link).
UK Government signs self-driving deal with Wayve (link).
Under the MoU, Wayve will share findings from its real-world trials with the government and regulators, supporting work on safety assurance and large-scale simulation. The partnership also covers the integration of full self-driving technology into production-ready vehicle platforms.
‘Reuters tests out Tesla Robotaxi in Dallas’ (link). Doesn’t seem like a great experience.
‘Delighted to inform you that Waymo merch has landed in SF’ (link).
‘You can just put your whole bike in a Zoox’ (link).
a16z's Alex Immerman says Waymo is "significantly ahead" compared to Tesla FSD when it comes to safety (link). This isn't controversial. The real question is whether Tesla can get to Waymo levels of safety and scale. Because if they do, they have some major advantages from being vertically integrated. Tesla has their super charging network and the ability to produce 5,000 cars a day. Waymo’s entire fleet is only 3,000 cars and is a big limiting factor to growth.
An Open Letter from the Medical Community on America’s Road Deaths (link).
Waymo recalls 3,800 robotaxis after glitch allowed some vehicles to ‘drive into standing water’ (link).
The voluntary recall is for Waymo vehicles that use the company’s fifth and sixth generation automated driving systems (or ADS), the U.S. auto safety regulator said in the letter posted Tuesday. Waymo autonomous vehicles in Austin, Texas were recently seen on camera driving onto a flooded street and stalling, requiring other drivers to navigate around them. Similar incidents have occurred in other locations, the latest safety-related issues for the Alphabet-owned AV unit that’s rapidly bolstering its fleet of vehicles and entering new U.S. markets.
Related: Waymo car stalls Austin traffic after refusing to cross puddle (link).
Uber partner Avride is under investigation for self-driving crashes (link).
The safety regulator’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) said all 16 crashes that it has identified have to do with “the competence of” Avride’s self-driving system, which has apparently struggled with changing lanes, responding to other vehicles in the same lane, and responding to stationary objects.
New poll shows what San Francisco residents really think about Waymo cars (link, no paywall).
Autonomous Driving Showdown: Who Will Win the Self-Driving Race? (link).
Waymo Factory May 2026 Update (link). Most of the cars in the lot are now Ojai 🤔
Letter: Where does the money spent on a driverless rideshare go? (link). This is one argument against AVs that I am sympathetic to.
‘Why does Uber make me accept a ‘match’ with a Waymo when they know I’m going to say yes literally every time’ (link).
Related: The ‘Waymo on Uber’ Experience, Feedback From a Power User - Ethan McKanna (link).
What else we're reading/listening to
Autonomy Insiders by Daniel Abreu Marques: Flexdrive: Lyft’s Secret Weapon in Autonomous Mobility (link).
Is Waymo’s Growth in California Flattening? (link).
Autonocast by Alex Roy, Ed Niedermeyer, Kirsten Korosec: #363: Lucid Gravity Review, Nuro, Waymo Tesla FSD, AV Policy Roundup (link). Interesting thoughts on the Lucid Gravity driver/rider experience and how it might fare in the robotaxi passenger context.
Zoox’s Approach to Scaling Autonomy with Marc Wimmershoff (link). Our latest podcast episode features Marc Wimmershoff, VP of Autonomy Software at Zoox, discussing the company’s purpose-built robotaxi strategy, teleguidance at scale, and how Zoox is thinking about deploying AVs safely and reliably at scale.
AVs/Humans behaving badly
‘Poor Waymo lol’ (link).
‘POV: you order a Zoox in SF and a homeless person jumps in it’ (link).
‘Driver captures Waymo chaos in Nashville’ (link).
‘At least he did it outside’ (link).
‘Waymo Running Red light in Dallas 5/9’ (link).
Video shows aftermath of rollover crash involving Waymo in Koreatown (link).
‘Waymo self-driving car [manned] wakes London street at 4am after taking dead end route three times in a week’ (link). What are these safety drivers doing behind the wheel lol?
AVs/Humans behaving “goodly” :)
‘Street racing at 125+ mph on the I-10 in LA led to a crash, but the Waymo Driver saw it coming’ (link).
‘Amazon Prime Air celebrates six months of drone delivery in Oakland County. Zero mishaps’ (link).
‘Watch Waymo dodge a human pulling a blind unprotected turn’ (link).
‘Zoox gets stuck, Tesla FSD Assists’ (link).
‘Waymo displays “HELP CLOSE” on roof to ask passersby to shut door’ (link).
Neat Jobs
Multiple roles at Terawatt (link) via Titiaan Palazzi.
Product Manager, Pickup and Dropoff Systems at Waymo (link) via Chris Ludwick.
Principal AI Hardware Architect at Zoox (link) via Brian Mitchell.
Product Manager - AI Driver at Wayve (link) via Clément Chidiac.
Job Moves
Tobias Wessels: Helm.ai -> Torc Robotics (link).
Ratidzo Venton: Nuro -> Zoox (link).
Jiajing Dai: Meta -> Waymo (link).
Shout-outs
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Until next week :)
-Harry