[ugh123]

With Android, Google was able to maintain its influence by the use of the Play store and other external services tied directly to default and popular apps (i'm aware there are hacks to get around certain restrictions within the AOSP).

Those same concepts won't necessarily be applicable to self-driving car tech.. unless Google is able to establish auxiliary services required to support the self-driving network (public monitoring stations, deep mapping, etc) that can further solidify their position while continuing to distribute just the software. This would further raise the bar for competitors to enter the market.