TESLA CEO ELON MUSK SAYS WAYMO 'NEVER HAD A CHANCE AS ROBOTAXI COMPETITION CONTINUES

Musk’s post on X, formerly Twitter, stated that this outcome “will be obvious in hindsight,” adding to an exchange triggered by comments from Google DeepMind’s chief scientist about disparities in documented autonomous vehicle mileage.

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At the same time, Musk reiterated plans to expand Tesla’s robotaxi deployment, including the removal of safety supervisors in Tesla’s Austin robotaxi service within weeks, a change he has repeated several times in recent months.

DIFFERENT APPROACHES TO AUTONOMOUS DRIVING COMPARE TESLA, WAYMO

The exchange between Musk and outside observers highlights how Tesla and Waymo have pursued distinct technical paths in autonomous driving. Waymo’s service focuses on purposebuilt systems that include a suite of sensors, including lidar, radar, and cameras, and it has documented millions of miles of driverless operations in designated service areas. By contrast, Tesla’s robotaxi initiative uses its own fleet of vehicles equipped with a vision-only approach that relies primarily on cameras and machine-learning-based perception.

Tesla’s robotaxi service launched in a limited form with human safety monitors in the front passenger seat and has since expanded in the Austin, Texas area. Musk’s remarks about removing safety monitors reflect Tesla’s stated intention to operate vehicles without occupants present for monitoring, a development he has described as imminent on several occasions. These plans involve incremental software updates and expanded testing, but as of now, Tesla’s robotaxis still include safety supervision in most operational contexts.