TechCrunch Mobility: Waymo is defending itself

Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility — your central hub for news and insights about the future of transportation. To get this in your inbox, sign up here for free – just click TechCrunch Mobility!

Earlier this month, Waymo Chief Safety Officer Mauricio Peña He testified before the Senate Commerce Committee as part of a hearing to talk about self-driving vehicles.

Many of the questions fall into the standard “let’s educate the public” category. But it was Senator Ed Markey Questions about overseas workers, and Peña’s answer, which everyone paid attention to.

When asked about human workers who assist with navigation or emergency situations in Waymo vehicles, Peña revealed that the company has remote pilot workers based overseas in the Philippines. This drew some quick anger from Markey, who warned Peña about how the company relied on people without U.S. driver’s licenses to help its vehicles on American roads, among other criticism.

Waymo penned a response in a blog post written by Waymo’s President of Global Operations, Ryan McNamara, which was published on Tuesday. She also shared the letter she sent to Markey’s office.

The publication and letter provide new insight into remote assistance operations. For example, Waymo emphasizes that it does not employ people who “remotely drive robotaxis.” Instead, autonomous driving systems are responsible.

Remote Assistance (RA) agents are available to respond to specific requests for information requested by Waymo’s self-driving system. The company also has Incident Response Teams, or ERTs, which are people certified for more complex tasks and based exclusively in the United States. Waymo says this team responds to collisions, interacts with law enforcement and the rider, collects data for regulatory reporting, and coordinates towing.

We also now know that Waymo has about “70 remote assistance agents in service around the world at any given time.” These people are based in Arizona, Michigan, and in two cities in the Philippines, details that once again raised the ire of some lawmakers.

To give you an idea 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 trips. Therefore, there are very few workers monitoring so many robotaxis.

I’ve argued for years that autonomous vehicle companies need to do a better job of explaining what happens behind the scenes, especially when it comes to remote steering. Most companies, many of which no longer exist, avoided the topic like the plague, perhaps in an attempt to make their technology seem more glamorous and innovative. It turns out that ambiguity breeds mistrust.

While the debate over remote routing operators continues, Waymo continues to push into new markets. With one exception.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul He withdrew a proposal that would have amended vehicle and traffic laws to effectively legalize robo-taxis in the state outside of New York City. “Based on conversations with stakeholders, including the Legislature, it was clear that the support was not there to move this proposal forward,” Hochul spokesman Sean Butler told me.

One more thing before we move on to the rest of the news. Mobility readers certainly don’t think the Rivian R2 will be priced at $50,000 or less. Last week, I polled you all and asked, “What is the starting price for the Rivian R2 Launch Edition?” I presented three options, less than $50,000, more than $60,000, and more than $70,000. More than 54% chose “more than $60,000,” with the remaining two options split on the issue.

To participate in our surveys, sign up for the Navigation newsletter here.

birdie

Senior correspondent Sean O’Kane I got the scoop from some little birds about the layoffs clear. 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 workers affected, but it is likely in the hundreds.

Lucid has not yet announced its 2025 annual earnings, which will reveal its headcount at the end of the year. The company reported that it had 6,800 full-time employees globally at the end of 2024.

Since our report was released, O’Kane has learned more. Affected employees found out early Friday morning, and a few of them learned something was wrong when they lost access to Microsoft Teams. They have technically been placed on 60 days of “administrative leave” and will not be officially laid off until late April.

Got a tip for us? Email Kirsten Korosek at kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com Or my Signal at kkorosec.07, or email Sean O’Kane at sean.okane@techcrunch.com.

Offers!

Al-Ammari Ia startup that uses artificial intelligence tools to help custom brokers update and navigate President Trump’s trading policies, has raised $4.5 million in funding led by two prominent early-stage firms First Round Capital and Pear VC. The startup says it has already amassed more than 30 customers and has helped those companies move more than $15 billion in goods.

Kafaka Mexico-based online used car dealer, has raised $300 million in an equity round led by Andreessen Horowitz, which has set aside $200 million. Other investors include WCM Investment Management, which co-led the round, and Foxhaven Asset Management.

Lanzagatea next-generation fuel technology company and fuel producer, has raised $47 million in the first closing of a $135 million targeted equity round. The company said its pre-money valuation is $650 million. It was jointly led by IAG and Shell, with participation from Groupe ADP, LanzaTech and Mitsui.

Fuel is deada sustainable aviation fuel startup based in Switzerland, has raised $24 million in a Series A round led by UVC Partners. Other investors include Energy Impact Partners, Contarian Ventures, RockCreek, Verve Ventures and Fortescue.

Notable Readings and Other Stories

Ford It is working hard to make shareholders forget the $19.5 billion loss it incurred late last year. Instead, you want them to see a tech-forward, smart company building a profitable product of the future that will herald a new era. The company, which promises to deliver an EV truck that starts at $30,000 and can compete with Chinese automakers without undercutting profit margins, shared how it plans to achieve that goal. Will the combination of 3D printed Lego-like parts, Formula 1 thinking and a rewards program be enough?

AI data center fever has spread. Just look at Red wood materials For proof. The battery and materials recycling startup launched an energy storage business last year with a focus on artificial intelligence data centers. Redwood Energy is now the fastest growing unit within the company. Read my full story to understand what this means.

Rivian It’s launching a companion app that lets owners perform basic tasks like locking and unlocking doors, winding windows, and turning on a car alarm using their Apple Watch. The company has released a broader software update that also includes a number of other new car features.

Tesla She lost her bid to overturn a $243 million jury verdict in a fatal Autopilot crash trial. Reminder: Tesla could have settled this case for $60 million. However, the company scored a win with California Department of Motor Vehicles. The state agency said it would not suspend Tesla’s sales and manufacturing licenses for 30 days because the electric car maker stopped using the term “Autopilot” in marketing its vehicles in the state.

Another thing…

I test vehicles regularly to keep up with the latest in-car technology, electric vehicles, and hybrids – or software updates in them. By chance I had it Lucid Air Touring Sedan this week.

It’s been at least a year since I’ve been behind the wheel of an Airplane. I was keen to try out the hands-free driver assistance system that the company launched last July. My previous experience with the company’s advanced driver-assistance system, called Dream Drive, didn’t impress me. My car often ping-ponged in the lane (which meant it had trouble centering) or stayed too close to the edge, which made me feel uncomfortable near the big rigs I passed on the highway.

I’m happy to report that Lucid has fixed these issues. The hands-free system was easy to use and didn’t allow me to abuse it for long. As you can see in the image above, if I put a phone in front of my face, a warning is issued almost immediately.