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Earlier this month, Waymo security officer Mauricio Peña testified before the House Commerce Committee as part of a hearing on autonomous vehicles.
Most of the questions came under the “let’s educate the public” category. But it was For Sen. Ed Markey questions about overseas workers, and Peña’s answer, everyone paid attention.
Peña, when asked about workers who help navigate Waymo’s vehicles or emergencies, pointed out that the company has remote control workers based overseas in the Philippines. This sparked immediate anger from Markey, who admonished Peña about how the company could rely on people without US driver’s licenses to help its vehicles on US roads, among other criticisms.
Waymo responded to a blog post written by Waymo’s head of global operations Ryan McNamara, published Tuesday. It also shared a letter it sent to Markey’s office.
The post and letter provide new insight into its remote assistance activities. For example, Waymo insists that it does not employ people who “remotely drive” robotaxis. Instead, self-driving systems are in charge.
Remote assistance (RA) personnel are available to answer specific requests for information requested by Waymo’s self-driving system. The company also has Incident Response Teams, or ERTs, who are authorized to carry out complex operations and are based only in the United States. The team responds to collisions, communicates with law enforcement and the passenger, collects data for regulatory reporting, and coordinates towing, Waymo said.
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And now we know that Waymo has “70 remote assistance agents working around the world at any given time.” These people are based in Arizona, Michigan, and two cities in the Philippines, information that has also raised the ire of some lawmakers.
To give you a sense of what that means, consider that Waymo has a fleet of 3,000 vehicles and each week its vehicles travel more than 4 million miles and provide more than 400,000 rides. Therefore, there are very few workers monitoring many robots.
I’ve argued for years that AV companies need to do a better job of explaining what’s going on behind the scenes, especially when it comes to remote control. Many companies, many of them defunct, avoided the topic like a disease, perhaps in an effort to make their technology seem magical and new. It turns out that mystery breeds mistrust.
While the debate over remote control operators plays out, Waymo continues to enter new markets. With one exception.
New York Governor Kathy Hochul withdrew a proposal that would have amended vehicle and traffic laws to legalize roboaxis in states outside of New York City. Hochul’s spokesperson, Sean Butler, told me: “Based on discussions with stakeholders, including the Legislature, it is clear that the support is not there to advance this proposal.”
One more thing before we get into other issues. Mobility readers can’t believe the Rivian R2 will be priced at $50,000 or less. Last week, I checked with you all and asked: “What will be the starting price of the Rivian R2 launch system?” I gave three options, under $50,000, over $60,000, and over $70,000. More than 54% chose “more than $60,000,” with the remaining two options split on the issue.
To take part in our poll, sign up for the Mobility newsletter here.
A small bird
Senior reporter Sean O’Kane I got information from other little birds about layoffs Lucid. Here’s what we know. Lucid is laying off 12% of its workforce, according to an internal memo seen by TechCrunch. We don’t have an exact number of affected workers, but it could be in the hundreds.
Lucid has not yet filed its 2025 earnings, which would reveal how many employees it had at the end of the year. The company reported that it has 6,800 full-time employees worldwide by the end of 2024.
Since our report came out, O’Kane has learned more. Affected employees found out early Friday morning, with several readings that something was wrong when they lost access to Microsoft Teams. They are technically being placed on a 60-day “administrative harvest” and will not be officially suspended until the end of April.
Got a tip? Email Kirsten Korosec at kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com or my Signal at kkorosec.07, or email Sean O’Kane at sean.okane@techcrunch.com.
Deals!
Money AIa startup that uses AI tools to help custom retailers modernize and navigate President Trump’s trade regulations, has raised $4.5 million in funding led by leading venture capital firms First Round Capital and Pear VC. The startup says it has amassed more than 30 clients and helped those firms move more than $15 billion in assets.
Kavaka Mexican online used car dealer, has raised $300 million in an equity round led by Andreessen Horowitz, which invested $200 million. Other investors include WCM Investment Management, which participated in the round, and Foxhaven Asset Management.
LanzaJeta next-generation fuel technology company and oil producer, has raised $47 million in the first closing of a targeted $135 million equity round. The company said its previous valuation was $650 million. The conference was jointly led by IAG and Shell, with participation from Groupe ADP, LanzaTech, and Mitsui.
Metafuelsa sustainable jet fuel startup based in Switzerland, has raised $24 million in a Series A round led by UVC Partners. Other investors include Energy Impact Partners, Contrarian Ventures, RockCreek, Verve Ventures, and Fortescue.
Notable readings and other stories
Ford is working hard to make shareholders forget about the $19.5 billion we took late last year. Instead, it wants them to see a technologically advanced and intelligent company creating a profitable product of the future that will usher in a new era. The company, which has promised to deliver an EV truck that starts at $30,000 and can compete with Chinese automakers without undermining profit margins, shared how it plans to hit that goal. Will a combination of Lego-like 3D printed parts, Formula 1 thinking, and a money system be enough?
AI data center fever has spread. Just look at it Redwood Materials for proof. The battery recycling and logistics startup launched an energy storage business last year with a focus on AI data centers. The business, Redwood Energy, is now the fastest growing division of the company. Read my full story to understand what that means.
Rivian is introducing a companion app that will allow owners to perform basic functions such as locking and unlocking doors, opening windows, and setting off a car alarm using their Apple Watch. The company has released a comprehensive software update and other new car features.
Tesla lost its bid to overturn a $243 million jury verdict in the fatal Autopilot crash test. Reminder: Tesla could have settled this lawsuit for $60 million. The company scored a win, however, with California Department of Motor Vehicles. The state agency said it will not suspend Tesla’s sales and manufacturing licenses for 30 days because the EV maker stopped using the word “Autopilot” in marketing its vehicles in the state.
One thing…
I periodically test cars for the latest car technology, EVs, and hybrids – or software updates to them. Coincidentally, I had Lucid Air Touring sedan this week.
I have been traveling by Air for at least a year. And I’ve been eager to try out the company’s hands-free driver assistance system that launched last July. My past experiences with the company’s advanced driver assistance system, called Dream Drive, have left me unimpressed. My car often ping-ponged in the lane (meaning it had trouble centering itself) or sat too close to the curb, which put me too close to the big embankments I passed on the freeway.
I’m happy to report that Lucid seems to have fixed these issues. Using the hands-free system was straightforward and didn’t allow me to misuse it for long periods of time. As you can see in the image above, when I put the phone in front of my face, the alert was triggered almost immediately.
