[echelon]

> Then why do we need this kind of company? I don’t know.

Why bother doing anything at all with this attitude?

Let's freeze in place and wait until the sun dies out. I don't know.

To me, Waymo is exciting because it could unlock a next step function of capabilities, patterns, and economics. Everything we take for granted in transportation -- highways, traffic signals, parking, traffic itself -- we could potentially get to reevaluate a lot of previously-held assumptions. The second- and third-order effects could be wild.

Maybe it'll all go bust. It's worth a shot, though. The rewards, if they succeed, will be tremendous.

[riku_iki]

> It's worth a shot, though.

waymo is 14 years old, maybe it is enough for a shot and time to move on something more proven? Like poor billions into smarter public transportation for example.

[robotburrito]

Agreed. Cars still destroy cities. No matter if they are driven by a human or not.

[2c2c2c]

this comment would make sense if there werent a fleet of 100 cruise and 100 waymo sucessfully operating for months in SF now

[jeffreygoesto]

100 people is about one train carriage. That is not a lot of bang for the buck.

[echelon]

At some point in history there were 100 single-celled organisms (or protocellular organisms?) presumably around some hydrothermal vent. Not a lot of promise there, either.

I get the self-driving car skepticism. I'm a skeptic. But the expected value is insanely positive and warrants our attention.

[2c2c2c]

what is the point of this comment? if i need to get to an appointment im not going to go take the bart, risking missing the interval or delays + walk a mile to get to my destination

theres obvious value in last mile transportation that trains will never provide. please go outside

[riku_iki]

for businesses, successfully means it is profitable and does not require layoffs.

But it sounds this kind of business may be not scalable.