John Berry
@aniccia.bsky.social
Link to NHTSA's preliminary investigation of Waymo's school bus incidents.
NHTSA's IR TO MFR (Information Request) doc under Associated Docs provide a good example of how much more info a professional seeks than inform the quick & dirty takes of most amateurs.
www.nhtsa.gov?nhtsaId=PE25...
NHTSA's IR TO MFR (Information Request) doc under Associated Docs provide a good example of how much more info a professional seeks than inform the quick & dirty takes of most amateurs.
www.nhtsa.gov?nhtsaId=PE25...
www.nhtsa.gov
December 5, 2025 at 5:51 AM
Link to NHTSA's preliminary investigation of Waymo's school bus incidents.
NHTSA's IR TO MFR (Information Request) doc under Associated Docs provide a good example of how much more info a professional seeks than inform the quick & dirty takes of most amateurs.
www.nhtsa.gov?nhtsaId=PE25...
NHTSA's IR TO MFR (Information Request) doc under Associated Docs provide a good example of how much more info a professional seeks than inform the quick & dirty takes of most amateurs.
www.nhtsa.gov?nhtsaId=PE25...
Rather uninformed analysis. Waymo's had many more animal crashes than he mentioned. Attached graph doesn't inc their two most recent that were at night like the vast majority have been, eg KitKat was killed at ~11:30 PM. That implies their lidar & radar were ~ineffective.
bsky.app/profile/anic...
bsky.app/profile/anic...
December 5, 2025 at 5:18 AM
Rather uninformed analysis. Waymo's had many more animal crashes than he mentioned. Attached graph doesn't inc their two most recent that were at night like the vast majority have been, eg KitKat was killed at ~11:30 PM. That implies their lidar & radar were ~ineffective.
bsky.app/profile/anic...
bsky.app/profile/anic...
They've built a very defective system held together by remote human operators who can't keep up with mgmt's need to grow.
bsky.app/profile/did:...
bsky.app/profile/did:...
NHTSA sent Waymo a letter regarding their Austin school bus problem, strongly hinting this should be a recall which makes sense as there is no doubt it is a safety defect, ie an unreasonable risk.
I don't think ppl appreciate what a thin margin Waymo has.
static.nhtsa.gov/odi/inv/2025...
I don't think ppl appreciate what a thin margin Waymo has.
static.nhtsa.gov/odi/inv/2025...
December 5, 2025 at 1:54 AM
They've built a very defective system held together by remote human operators who can't keep up with mgmt's need to grow.
bsky.app/profile/did:...
bsky.app/profile/did:...
It doesn't work very well anywhere, esp
fwys
parking lots
parking garages
traffic lights
road construction
school buses
transit buses
light rail
fire houses
fire scenes
police scenes
and on and on
It fails requiring human assistance to move on ave every ~65 miles, per Waymo's reports to CPUC.
fwys
parking lots
parking garages
traffic lights
road construction
school buses
transit buses
light rail
fire houses
fire scenes
police scenes
and on and on
It fails requiring human assistance to move on ave every ~65 miles, per Waymo's reports to CPUC.
December 5, 2025 at 1:51 AM
It doesn't work very well anywhere, esp
fwys
parking lots
parking garages
traffic lights
road construction
school buses
transit buses
light rail
fire houses
fire scenes
police scenes
and on and on
It fails requiring human assistance to move on ave every ~65 miles, per Waymo's reports to CPUC.
fwys
parking lots
parking garages
traffic lights
road construction
school buses
transit buses
light rail
fire houses
fire scenes
police scenes
and on and on
It fails requiring human assistance to move on ave every ~65 miles, per Waymo's reports to CPUC.
Waymo has never had to guarantee their system complies with the law, AFAICT.
The state AV laws and/or regulations I've read require an AV mfg to certify design to comply with law and/or testing that is satisfactory to the mfg.
Waymo's uncrewed robots have violated laws before & after permitting.
The state AV laws and/or regulations I've read require an AV mfg to certify design to comply with law and/or testing that is satisfactory to the mfg.
Waymo's uncrewed robots have violated laws before & after permitting.
December 5, 2025 at 1:43 AM
Waymo has never had to guarantee their system complies with the law, AFAICT.
The state AV laws and/or regulations I've read require an AV mfg to certify design to comply with law and/or testing that is satisfactory to the mfg.
Waymo's uncrewed robots have violated laws before & after permitting.
The state AV laws and/or regulations I've read require an AV mfg to certify design to comply with law and/or testing that is satisfactory to the mfg.
Waymo's uncrewed robots have violated laws before & after permitting.
Before Austin ISD's letter, Waymo had already made two separate sw updates trying to address this issue.
The first was after this problem had been identified in Atlanta back in September and then another more recently after the first batch of >10 of these incidents in Austin.
Neither fixed it.
The first was after this problem had been identified in Atlanta back in September and then another more recently after the first batch of >10 of these incidents in Austin.
Neither fixed it.
December 5, 2025 at 1:34 AM
Before Austin ISD's letter, Waymo had already made two separate sw updates trying to address this issue.
The first was after this problem had been identified in Atlanta back in September and then another more recently after the first batch of >10 of these incidents in Austin.
Neither fixed it.
The first was after this problem had been identified in Atlanta back in September and then another more recently after the first batch of >10 of these incidents in Austin.
Neither fixed it.
4 days earlier, Austin sent Waymo a letter demanding
“Waymo immediately cease operation of its automated vehicles during the hours of 5:20 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., until more in-depth software updates are completed and Waymo can guarantee its vehicles will comply with the law.”
“Waymo immediately cease operation of its automated vehicles during the hours of 5:20 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., until more in-depth software updates are completed and Waymo can guarantee its vehicles will comply with the law.”
December 5, 2025 at 1:28 AM
4 days earlier, Austin sent Waymo a letter demanding
“Waymo immediately cease operation of its automated vehicles during the hours of 5:20 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., until more in-depth software updates are completed and Waymo can guarantee its vehicles will comply with the law.”
“Waymo immediately cease operation of its automated vehicles during the hours of 5:20 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m., until more in-depth software updates are completed and Waymo can guarantee its vehicles will comply with the law.”
Or else cap how many robots or rides they are allowed.
In San Francisco and Los Angeles, Waymo is uncapped and with the funding they get from Alphabet/Google they could if they wished flood all the streets all the time, instead of only some sometimes, eg:
bsky.app/profile/anic...
In San Francisco and Los Angeles, Waymo is uncapped and with the funding they get from Alphabet/Google they could if they wished flood all the streets all the time, instead of only some sometimes, eg:
bsky.app/profile/anic...
Waymo privatized another public street:
Chanel approaching 4th, San Francisco
Possibly queued for a Billie Eilish show at Chase Center ~half mile away.
The light rail train on 4th seen passing in front of this roboherd has more passenger capacity than all of them combined.
OP: .tiktok.renaspam18
Chanel approaching 4th, San Francisco
Possibly queued for a Billie Eilish show at Chase Center ~half mile away.
The light rail train on 4th seen passing in front of this roboherd has more passenger capacity than all of them combined.
OP: .tiktok.renaspam18
December 5, 2025 at 1:05 AM
Or else cap how many robots or rides they are allowed.
In San Francisco and Los Angeles, Waymo is uncapped and with the funding they get from Alphabet/Google they could if they wished flood all the streets all the time, instead of only some sometimes, eg:
bsky.app/profile/anic...
In San Francisco and Los Angeles, Waymo is uncapped and with the funding they get from Alphabet/Google they could if they wished flood all the streets all the time, instead of only some sometimes, eg:
bsky.app/profile/anic...
If you want to prevent that, then require Waymo to charge their costs with GAAP financials quarterly reported to the appropriate gov agency for review and not for public disclosure as Waymo is not a public company. Then they can't use Google's profits to subsidize rides to harm uber/lyft drivers.
December 5, 2025 at 1:01 AM
If you want to prevent that, then require Waymo to charge their costs with GAAP financials quarterly reported to the appropriate gov agency for review and not for public disclosure as Waymo is not a public company. Then they can't use Google's profits to subsidize rides to harm uber/lyft drivers.
It is also possible their models are simply too simple and they have pushed them too far.
GM Cruise's sure were and they sure did, tragically.
GM Cruise's sure were and they sure did, tragically.
December 4, 2025 at 11:52 PM
It is also possible their models are simply too simple and they have pushed them too far.
GM Cruise's sure were and they sure did, tragically.
GM Cruise's sure were and they sure did, tragically.
I suspect it is a result of increasing their aggression, though that may have also come either w cost-cutting or more likely not increasing costs enough to keep up w the much higher quality/tolerance needed for more aggression. They have gone through growing pains cycles before in AZ and then in SF.
December 4, 2025 at 11:49 PM
I suspect it is a result of increasing their aggression, though that may have also come either w cost-cutting or more likely not increasing costs enough to keep up w the much higher quality/tolerance needed for more aggression. They have gone through growing pains cycles before in AZ and then in SF.
Reminder, Waymo repeatedly said they fixed their looping bug and journalists published their quotes and advocates rejoiced, only to have it recur embarrassingly each time; then it turned out they never really fixed it, instead they stopped going to loop-inducing places.
bsky.app/profile/anic...
bsky.app/profile/anic...
OMG, Waymo fixed their infamous looping bug by removing locations w loops, in this case forcing passengers to drop off at the street outside the Hermosa Inn, Paradise Valley, AZ bc their dumbots can't handle this fountain.
Got an object type w a problem, remove the object type, remove the problem.
Got an object type w a problem, remove the object type, remove the problem.
December 4, 2025 at 11:36 PM
Reminder, Waymo repeatedly said they fixed their looping bug and journalists published their quotes and advocates rejoiced, only to have it recur embarrassingly each time; then it turned out they never really fixed it, instead they stopped going to loop-inducing places.
bsky.app/profile/anic...
bsky.app/profile/anic...
If you go back a ways, you will see they also got rid of Waymo's trucking department, called Via. That was when the adults told this perpetual R&D project to focus on one line of business (ridehail) to prove the concept.
They sold off their brand new $20 million Via depot near Dallas.
They sold off their brand new $20 million Via depot near Dallas.
December 4, 2025 at 11:22 PM
If you go back a ways, you will see they also got rid of Waymo's trucking department, called Via. That was when the adults told this perpetual R&D project to focus on one line of business (ridehail) to prove the concept.
They sold off their brand new $20 million Via depot near Dallas.
They sold off their brand new $20 million Via depot near Dallas.
Right, that's the same as they do ever couple years give or take a few months. Notice that was last year and they did not invest more this year, but they almost certainly will next year.
Burning ~3% of Google's profit to keep the founders happy need be little more than a check box to the CEO.
Burning ~3% of Google's profit to keep the founders happy need be little more than a check box to the CEO.
December 4, 2025 at 11:18 PM
Right, that's the same as they do ever couple years give or take a few months. Notice that was last year and they did not invest more this year, but they almost certainly will next year.
Burning ~3% of Google's profit to keep the founders happy need be little more than a check box to the CEO.
Burning ~3% of Google's profit to keep the founders happy need be little more than a check box to the CEO.
FWIW, Alphabet's financial imply they haven't increased their spending/losing on Waymo YOY, at least not much. They have some outside investors to cover the minor bump in loses from their operations.
Vast majority of their costs have always been R&D, not robots or operations.
Vast majority of their costs have always been R&D, not robots or operations.
December 4, 2025 at 11:09 PM
FWIW, Alphabet's financial imply they haven't increased their spending/losing on Waymo YOY, at least not much. They have some outside investors to cover the minor bump in loses from their operations.
Vast majority of their costs have always been R&D, not robots or operations.
Vast majority of their costs have always been R&D, not robots or operations.
This is a pet project of Google's founders, Larry Page since a childhood & Sergey Brin since the DoD's 2005 Grand Challenge. If Waymo pleases them well enough, they can continue to lose money. Alphabet's tax write off is about as much as Waymo's revenue, ie taxpayers pay about as much as passengers.
December 4, 2025 at 11:03 PM
This is a pet project of Google's founders, Larry Page since a childhood & Sergey Brin since the DoD's 2005 Grand Challenge. If Waymo pleases them well enough, they can continue to lose money. Alphabet's tax write off is about as much as Waymo's revenue, ie taxpayers pay about as much as passengers.
GM Cruise had ~1.5 operations ppl per robot, but that wasn't disclosed/leaked until they shutdown ~2 years ago.
All of these companies need many ppl in various roles.
The extent of telops is critical and unsustainable/unsafe, IMO.
Thread w Waymo's own info on the roles:
bsky.app/profile/anic...
All of these companies need many ppl in various roles.
The extent of telops is critical and unsustainable/unsafe, IMO.
Thread w Waymo's own info on the roles:
bsky.app/profile/anic...
A few (~3-5) minutes per hour ~= 5-8% would be enormous and ~2x worse than Zoox and Cruise achieved or at least admitted, as none of this is reported to regulators or audited by any independent authority.
This is the only news in this co-CEO profile, AFAICT.
www.vanityfair.com/culture/stor...
This is the only news in this co-CEO profile, AFAICT.
www.vanityfair.com/culture/stor...
December 4, 2025 at 10:09 PM
GM Cruise had ~1.5 operations ppl per robot, but that wasn't disclosed/leaked until they shutdown ~2 years ago.
All of these companies need many ppl in various roles.
The extent of telops is critical and unsustainable/unsafe, IMO.
Thread w Waymo's own info on the roles:
bsky.app/profile/anic...
All of these companies need many ppl in various roles.
The extent of telops is critical and unsustainable/unsafe, IMO.
Thread w Waymo's own info on the roles:
bsky.app/profile/anic...
It might pick you up at the bus stop.
Waymo robots have long used bus stops for pudo and to park/idle for free. They've been ticketed for it and it's contributed to crashes w buses trying to get around them.
Some videos show them leaving when a bus arrives or honks, eg:
bsky.app/profile/anic...
Waymo robots have long used bus stops for pudo and to park/idle for free. They've been ticketed for it and it's contributed to crashes w buses trying to get around them.
Some videos show them leaving when a bus arrives or honks, eg:
bsky.app/profile/anic...
A Waymo robot briefly blocked the I-10 West RAPID bus' approach to Stop #16878:
Central btw Monroe & Van Buren, Phoenix
Waymo robots often dwell/stand/loiter, pickup, and drop off at bus stops; contributing to many Waymo robot crashes w buses trying to get around them.
OP: tiktok.songexplorer
Central btw Monroe & Van Buren, Phoenix
Waymo robots often dwell/stand/loiter, pickup, and drop off at bus stops; contributing to many Waymo robot crashes w buses trying to get around them.
OP: tiktok.songexplorer
December 4, 2025 at 10:00 PM
It might pick you up at the bus stop.
Waymo robots have long used bus stops for pudo and to park/idle for free. They've been ticketed for it and it's contributed to crashes w buses trying to get around them.
Some videos show them leaving when a bus arrives or honks, eg:
bsky.app/profile/anic...
Waymo robots have long used bus stops for pudo and to park/idle for free. They've been ticketed for it and it's contributed to crashes w buses trying to get around them.
Some videos show them leaving when a bus arrives or honks, eg:
bsky.app/profile/anic...
Just to be clear, these are not problems when there is a safety driver, which is currently required in MN.
December 4, 2025 at 8:09 PM
Just to be clear, these are not problems when there is a safety driver, which is currently required in MN.
Or Georgia, by that reasoning. Unclear how it will work in practice anywhere until it does, which is basically the rule for all things robot on public roads. Predictions/expectations have not aged well.
December 4, 2025 at 8:06 PM
Or Georgia, by that reasoning. Unclear how it will work in practice anywhere until it does, which is basically the rule for all things robot on public roads. Predictions/expectations have not aged well.
FWIW, this was first discovered in early 2022 by SFPD who had to put out a notice to all of their officers to not attempt to cite uncrewed robots for moving violations. That was ~50 million VMT of uncrewed robots driving in California ago.
December 4, 2025 at 8:04 PM
FWIW, this was first discovered in early 2022 by SFPD who had to put out a notice to all of their officers to not attempt to cite uncrewed robots for moving violations. That was ~50 million VMT of uncrewed robots driving in California ago.
Good luck convincing the California legislature and courts. As I already posted, they formally considered it through the complete process and decided not to write a new reg/law knowing full well what that would mean.
December 4, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Good luck convincing the California legislature and courts. As I already posted, they formally considered it through the complete process and decided not to write a new reg/law knowing full well what that would mean.