Waymo human driver upsell

I’m in San Francisco this week. One of the fun parts of being in SF (a city I am vocally not a fan of) is using Waymo’s to get around. You tap a few buttons and a car appears that will drive you anywhere, with no driver. Given that drivers are often the problem with ridesharing, it feels like stepping into the future.

When I talk about Waymo with family and friends, the first question that comes up is whether or not it’s safe. Statistically speaking, it is safer than a human driving the car. That said, there’s only so much a robot can do to make you feel safe.

To that end, what if there was a Waymo upsell that allowed you to have a real human driver in the car with you? A million logistical questions come up (who’s driving? can they intervene on each other’s behalf? etc), but I’ll save those for another day because there’s no way this ever gets built, as it destroys the underlying thesis of Waymo.

That said, it could be a good PR stunt or April Fool’s Day move for them.

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