Exploring a tech reporter's experience with Waymo's autonomous taxis in San Francisco, focusing on their transition to freeways, the absence of human drivers, and the potential implications for the future of self-driving vehicles.
After years of promises that driverless cars were just over the horizon, one of the industry's biggest players is headed for the freeway. Now, for the first time, Alphabet’s Waymo is allowing robotaxis to take its employees on high-speed roads in Phoenix, Arizona without a human driver. The move comes just as the industry is facing a harsh reality after high-profile crashes: GM’s Cruise had its permits to operate driverless robotaxis pulled by the California DMV, and Waymo issued its first-ever recall after two of its cars collided with a pickup truck being towed. WSJ reporter Meghan Bobrowsky discusses what this could mean for the future of self-driving cars and where the industry is heading.