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

During a recent conversation at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, Waymo's co-CEO, Tekedra Mawakana, emphasized the urgent need for the company to expand its operations. "It is imperative that we scale," she stated, highlighting the delicate balance between fundraising efforts and the journey toward profitability. Mawakana firmly believes that as Waymo grows, it will not only enhance its services but also improve road safety. This year, the company has embarked on an aggressive expansion plan, with ambitions to launch its autonomous vehicle services in several new U.S. cities, including Washington D.C., Miami, Denver, Dallas, Seattle, and Nashville, as well as in London by 2026. She projected that by the end of 2026, Waymo aims to facilitate one million rides per week. In her dialogue with TechCrunch Transportation Editor Kirsten Korosec, Mawakana addressed the complexities of safely achieving such scale. She asserted that Waymo's operations are currently safer than those of the average human driver. While not naming specific competitors, she criticized others in the field for their lack of transparency regarding the safety of their autonomous technologies. "It is incumbent upon [them] to be transparent about what’s happening," she remarked, emphasizing the importance of accountability in ensuring road safety. As Waymo continues to navigate its expansion, it faces challenges like a recent incident in Atlanta where one of its vehicles interacted dangerously with a stopped school bus, prompting an investigation from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Despite this, Waymo has claimed its vehicles are five times safer than typical human drivers and twelve times safer when it comes to pedestrian interactions. Mawakana acknowledged that while perfection is unattainable, accountability and transparency are crucial. "We really worry as a company about those days. You know, we don’t say whether, we say when, and we plan for them," she expressed. She also noted that the company does not operate under a mindset of allowable incidents, recognizing the inherent risks of having autonomous vehicles share the roads with human drivers. When asked if society would accept the possibility of a fatal incident involving a robotaxi in exchange for the promise of enhanced safety, Mawakana confidently stated, "I think that society will."