Waymo’s co-CEO on the problem of scaling robotaxis safely

Waymo’s co-CEO, Tekedra Mawakana, had a transparent message throughout her interview on the TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 stage Monday: “It’s crucial that we scale.”

Mawakana was talking within the context of how Waymo balances fundraising (and burning by means of that cash) with finally reaching profitability. However she was additionally clear within the interview that she believes Waymo can enhance highway security by reaching that scale.

All this helps clarify why the corporate has been on an enlargement tear this 12 months, and expects to launch in lots of extra U.S. cities — D.C., Miami, Denver, Dallas, Seattle, and Nashville — in addition to in London in 2026. It’s a livid tempo that has seen the autonomous automobile firm leverage a number of partnerships with the likes of corporations like Uber, Lyft, and Avis.

“By the top of 2026, it’s best to anticipate us to offer 1 million journeys per week,” she mentioned.

Mawakana spent loads of time through the interview with TechCrunch Transportation Editor Kirsten Korosec speaking concerning the challenges of safely reaching that type of scale.

The Waymo co-CEO maintained that the corporate is working at a stage that’s safer than the everyday human driver. And whereas she didn’t identify names, she took a shot at opponents, saying they aren’t doing sufficient to show that their autonomous automobile expertise is really protected.

“It’s incumbent upon [them] to be clear about what’s occurring,” she mentioned. “And in case you are not being clear, then it’s my view that you’re not doing what is important with a purpose to really earn the suitable to make the highway safer.”

Her feedback come as the corporate continues to iron out edge circumstances throughout its enlargement — with one of the crucial latest incidents coming in Atlanta, Georgia, the place a Waymo automobile pulled out in entrance of a stopped faculty bus, resulting in an investigation from the Nationwide Freeway Visitors Security Administration.

Waymo itself just lately launched a report claiming its automobiles are already 5 occasions safer than most human drivers, and 12 occasions safer with respect to pedestrians.

Nonetheless, Waymo automobiles have been caught making various head-scratching choices.

“It’s essential to acknowledge, it’s not going to be perfection, however that doesn’t imply you shouldn’t be accountable for transparency,” Mawakana mentioned on stage. “I feel…we actually fear as an organization about these days. , we don’t say whether or not, we are saying when, and we plan for them.”

Mawkana additionally mentioned Waymo doesn’t assume by way of “what number of [incidents] are allowable.”

“We all know they’re going to occur as a result of our vehicles are on the highway with people, and sadly, proper now, the state of the roads and the state of human driving is there’s loads of deaths, and there are loads of accidents being induced on the roadways,” she mentioned.

And when requested whether or not the general public would settle for a dying brought on by a robotaxi within the face of the promise of better security, Mawakana mentioned: “I feel that society will.”