Ian Rose Mike Johns unexpectedly attracted global attention during his driverless taxi ride from Los Angeles to Scottsdale when the vehicle malfunctioned, repeatedly circling a parking lot. His recorded experience sparked widespread discussion about the safety and reliability of self-driving cars. Waymo, owned by Alphabet, quickly addressed the issue with a software update; however, the incident contributed to public doubt and comes amid increasing scrutiny and recalls for the company. The challenges extend to other companies like GM, which recently shut down its self-driving subsidiary due to significant scaling challenges.
Mr Johns recorded the experience, a video that went viral almost immediately and was picked up on TV stations around the world, casting fresh public doubt about self-driving cars and how ready they are for real-world passengers.
Waymo which is owned by Alphabet, the parent company of Google, told the BBC that it released a software update almost immediately fixing the problem.
Despite its assurances, Mr Johns' experience is not isolated; Waymo has faced scrutiny, including recalls and probes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
GM attributed the closure of its self-driving subsidiary Cruise to the considerable time and resources that would be needed to scale the business.
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