Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana says it’s not a question of if one of their autonomous cars will cause a fatality, but when.
Speaking onstage at TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco on Oct. 27, Mawakana addressed a tough question posed by TechCrunch transportation editor Kirsten Korosec.
Part of the interview arrived when Korosec brought on a thought experiment: What if self-driving vehicles like Waymo and others reduce the number of traffic fatalities in the United States, but a self-driving vehicle does eventually cause a fatal crash? “Will society accept that? Will society accept a death potentially caused by a robot?” she asked.
“I think that society will,” she said.
“We really worry as a company about those days. You know, we don’t say ‘whether.’ We say ‘when.’ And we plan for them.”
Holding the Industry to a Higher Standard
Mawakana framed the issue as a broader industry challenge. She emphasized that companies need to be held to a high safety standard and be open about performance.
“We have to be in this open and honest dialogue about the fact that we know it’s not perfection,” she said.
Waymo claims its vehicles are involved in 91% fewer crashes than human drivers, and the company regularly retests its vehicles to prevent issues.
But Mawakana admitted that problems still arise, such as cars blocking emergency vehicles.
“We need to make sure that the performance is backing what we’re saying we’re doing,” she said.
A Community Tragedy Sparks Outrage
While the company points to its safety hub and published crash data, critics argue that autonomous vehicles are still being tested in public without full transparency or regulation.
That debate intensified this week after a Waymo vehicle was allegedly involved in the death of KitKat, a beloved tabby cat and local mascot of a San Francisco liquor store.
Residents say the car struck the cat near 16th Street late Monday night. A 311 complaint alleged the vehicle “did not even try to stop.”
Waymo has not responded to multiple requests for comment on the incident.
Locals Remember KitKat as a Neighborhood Fixture
The community responded with grief and anger. Locals built a growing memorial outside the store with flowers, candles, and signs like “Kill a Waymo! Save a Cat!”
Some residents described KitKat as the block’s “security guard” and an unofficial ambassador for the area.
“He was everyone’s best friend,” said bartender Jessica Chapdelaine, who lives above the store. “And he was just the sweetest boy.”
Transparency Divide Among Autonomous Vehicle Companies
Waymo’s rollout has been more cautious than competitors like Tesla and Cruise, the latter of which faced public backlash and lawsuits after a 2023 incident where a robotaxi dragged a pedestrian in San Francisco.
Mawakana took a veiled jab at competitors during her TechCrunch interview, saying, “If you are not being transparent, then it is my view that you are not doing what is necessary in order to actually earn the right to make the roads safer.”
Public Accountability Remains a Major Concern
Still, for some San Francisco residents, the idea that a company can test self-driving cars in their neighborhoods without human accountability doesn’t sit well.
As one neighbor put it after KitKat’s death: “These cars don’t have a driver, so we’re really going to have to rethink who’s responsible.”
IMAGE CREDIT: “Tekedra Mawakana at Strictly VC – Los Angeles 2024” by TechCrunch, via Flickr. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0. Image adjusted for layout.