Waymo's reputation took a significant blow over the weekend, as its autonomous vehicles froze on the streets during a power outage in San Francisco. With street lights off and internet connection limited, Waymo robotaxis stopped with hazard lights on in the middle of the roads, causing blockages. Tesla CEO, Elon Musk, was happy to point out that Tesla FSD was working flawlessly during the blackout.

 

Videos of frozen Waymo robotaxis, causing massive traffic jams, spread like wildfire on social media. According to witnesses, the vehicles were blocking the intersections and pedestrian walkways for hours on Saturday evening. This in itself divided the internet, with some concerned about Waymo's handling of such unusual situations. Others, on the other hand, were pleased that the vehicles stopped instead of trying to navigate the hazardous situation.