The report cited Waymo’s ongoing driverless testing in Chandler, Ariz., which involves opening its ride-hailing service to the general public, as a milestone development. But it further noted that Waymo’s decision to take outside investment last year “is believed to be related to the recognition that broad deployment of AVs is not imminent and Alphabet [Waymo’s parent company] has been reining in spending.”
The timeline sentiment is echoed by former Waymo Chief Safety Officer Debbie Hersman, who left the company last year. Speaking about the broader industry while part of a panel discussion last week, she said, “I think it’s going to take much longer than we think to deploy fully self-driving AVs across our system.”
Leading the efforts to scale beyond metro Phoenix are Waymo’s new co-CEOs, Tekedra Mawakana and Dmitri Dolgov, who were appointed following Krafcik’s departure.
Waymo has embarked on “a super-ambitious path going forward,” Dolgov told Automotive News in April. “At the core is a focus on building the Waymo Driver and applying that technology across a number of business lines.”