Waymo important things to worry about

I used a driverless rideshare car in the summer of 2024. To paraphrase Ron Burgundy: “It was kind of a big deal?”

Waymo is coming to San Diego in 2026. The service is already in Atlanta, Austin, Los Angeles, Phoenix/Scottsdale and San Francisco, where a Waymo car recently killed a cat.

(Crypto investor note: The cat, named KitKat, is now a meme coin.)

Waymo will service areas near downtown San Diego and Pacific Beach. Sorry, La Jolla. Go ahead and secede from the city to cut your own deal for these all-electric Jaguar I-Pace cars.

Politically speaking, San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria is “welcoming innovative and promising technologies like Waymo.”

Right. Downtown residents, drained by newly hiked fees for parking in their own neighborhoods, the Gaslamp Quarter, near Petco Park and Balboa Park, can imagine the next cash grab: “a city protection fee for driverless cars.” 

My Waymo ride occurred in Scottsdale. There was momentary excitement when the steering wheel spun on its own. I held my breath at oncoming traffic. A mini gaggle of onlookers did show interest upon my arrival at the hotel. One tourist enthusiastically shook my hand. His wife called me brave.

I don’t consider myself a hero. In fact, my 15 minutes of Waymo fame lasted about 45 seconds. 

Waymo is coming. Sigh. Keep calm and hide your cats.