Waymo’s co-CEO says society will accept deaths caused by the company’s robotaxis

KANIKA SINGH RATHORE,

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Co-CEO of self-driving taxi company waymo He said he believed that a theoretical incident in which one of their vehicles resulted in a fatality would not pose a threat to the company’s existence. continued operations,

The company’s co-CEO Takedra Mwakana was interviewed in San Francisco this week during the TechCrunch Disrupt conference and was asked about the possibility of a fatal outcome. autonomous taxi Accidents.

according to sfgateDuring the interview, TechCrunch’s Transportation editor, Kristen Korosec, posed the following scenario to Mavacana: What if self-driving taxis The overall rate of traffic deaths decreased, but was a Waymo car directly involved in a fatal accident?

“Will society accept this? Will society accept possible death caused by robots?” Korosec asked, according to the outlet.

“I think society will do that,” Mwakana said, noting that such a question could affect any autonomous car company, not just Waymo. “I think the challenge for us is to make sure there are adequate safety standards for companies in society,” he said.

Waymo co-CEO Takedra Mwakana said he believed society would accept a fatal accident caused by an autonomous taxi, but he also challenged other self-driving car companies to be more transparent about the safety records of their vehicles.

Waymo co-CEO Takedra Mwakana said he believed society would accept a fatal accident caused by an autonomous taxi, but he also challenged other self-driving car companies to be more transparent about the safety records of their vehicles. ,Waymo/WikiCommons,

He said Waymo logs any accidents involving its vehicles. Publicly accessible “hub” To maintain transparency and provide data about its safety record, and they encouraged other companies to do the same as an industry standard.

Mwakana said that self-driving cars would dramatically reduce the number of car accidents, but he added that there would always be a chance of an accident occurring, sfgate Report.

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“We have to have open and honest conversations about the fact that we know this is not perfection,” he said.

According to the co-CEO, when potentially fatal accidents are discussed at the company, “We don’t say ‘what.’ We say ‘when.’ And we plan for them.

Korosec asked Mwakana if Waymo ever had to “pump the brakes” on its expansion to address safety issues.

Mwakana said the company slows down and resets “all the time,” noting that they stopped to address an issue where Vemos was blocking emergency vehicles.

The company has faced other issues recently.

Last week, a Federal investigation of Waymo announced San Francisco residents frustrated with cars in 2024 after reports claimed self-driving taxis weren’t stopping for school buses won’t stop honking On each other even at midnight.

In September, the police pulled over a car Made for an illegal U-turn, only to realize it was a self-driving Waymo.

Waymo cars are seen parked at the Waymo facility in San Francisco, California on June 10, 2025

Waymo cars are seen parked at the Waymo facility in San Francisco, California on June 10, 2025 ,getty images,

One of Waymo’s main competitors, TeslaFare has also had its share of issues.

In April, a New York man sued an EV company claiming his car was jammed into a tree After the auto-pilot feature is activated. In 2024, failed to detect a vehicle in “full self-driving” mode a moving train,

A series of accidents with Tesla robotaxis They were also reported soon after their launch.

At the end of the chat, the co-CEO challenged other autonomous car companies to meet Waymo’s standards in terms of transparency on safety issues.

“If you’re not transparent, I believe you’re not doing what’s necessary to actually earn the right to make the streets safer,” he said.

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Independent has requested comment from Waymo and Tesla.

Uk