Waymo co-CEO Dmitri Dolgov explains Google's strategy to develop autonomous driving software rather than becoming a physical vehicle manufacturer.
Prediction Open · timeframe Nov 2033
Dolgov: Autonomous taxis in most major US cities within 10 years
“I definitely agree with the latter, and I would not dismiss the former. 10 years is a, you know, reasonably long time, and, you know, things can happen nonlinearly.”
Assertion Supported
Google pivoted to full autonomy after test drivers slept at the wheel
“One was what we learned from people using the driver assist system. They would overtrust it. They, you know, would put on makeup and, you know, text and, you know, one guy actually fell asleep.”
Disclosure
Dolgov: Waymo accepts legal responsibility for actions of its autonomous driver
“For the actions of, you know, the Waymo driver. The responsibility, you know, lies, you know, with Waymo.”
Assertion Supported
Swiss Re study: Waymo eliminated bodily injury claims over 4 million miles
“That study that Swiss RE has done was very encouraging that when they looked at, you know, almost four million miles of, you know, our fully autonomous operation, they found that massive reduction in, you know, a hundred percent reduction in the bodily injury …”
Assertion Supported
Waymo built custom LiDAR after off-the-shelf sensors proved too unreliable
“The sensors at that time, you know, didn't have the level of reliability or capability that we would need, that we would trust, you know, to go to full autonomy. So we build, you know that generation had our own lighters and, you know custom sensor suite.”
Insight
Waymo riders typically stop paying attention to the road within minutes
“What we very consistently see, and I guess I would love if To hear if that matches your experience, but once people get in the car, just, you know, after a couple of minutes, they get very comfortable and they go back to, you know, doing whatever they want to …”