Waymo Madness in SF! Why robotaxis clogged the streets | E2227 - This Week in Startups Recap

Podcast: This Week in Startups

Published: 2025-12-23

Duration: 1 hr 0 min

Guests: Jonathan Sherman

Summary

A power outage in San Francisco exposed the limitations of Waymo's autonomous vehicle technology as their cars clogged city streets. Jason Calacanis discusses the future of self-driving cars, predicts Google's potential acquisition of Uber, and highlights the global expansion of autonomous technology.

What Happened

A power outage in San Francisco led to a significant disruption for Waymo's self-driving cars, causing them to block intersections and inconvenience city traffic. This incident highlighted the brittleness of Waymo's map-based and heuristics-based systems in unfamiliar situations. In contrast, Tesla Robotaxis, which rely on end-to-end models, were unaffected, showcasing the differences in autonomous vehicle technologies.

Jason Calacanis was on the ground in San Francisco during the outage and provided firsthand insights into the chaos caused by the Waymo vehicles. He speculates on the future of autonomous driving, envisioning a time when these vehicles will operate with the precision and coordination of ballet dancers.

In a broader discussion, Jason forecasts that every Tesla will eventually be equipped with satellite dishes for enhanced connectivity, a development he believes will revolutionize the automotive industry. He also shared his thoughts on Tesla's Optimus robot, suggesting its potential to perform complex tasks that could transform industries.

The episode also touched on the international expansion of autonomous vehicles, noting Baidu's collaboration with Lyft and Uber to bring self-driving cars to London, a city that surprisingly has not fully embraced this technology yet.

Jason made a bold prediction that Google might acquire Uber to bolster its self-driving capabilities and compete head-to-head with Tesla. This move could significantly impact the ride-sharing and autonomous vehicle sectors.

Coinbase's acquisition of The Clearing Company was discussed as part of its strategy to expand its exchange capabilities, particularly in prediction markets. This is part of Coinbase's broader trend of aggressive acquisitions from 2019 to 2025.

Finally, the episode featured a pitch from Jonathan Sherman of Lumix Ads, a marketing platform for SMBs. Lumix Ads uses innovative methods like employing delivery bikers for ad display and has achieved profitability with plans for expansion, showcasing the dynamic landscape of startup innovation.

Key Insights

• A power outage in San Francisco caused Waymo's self-driving cars to block intersections due to their reliance on map-based and heuristics-based systems, which struggled in the unfamiliar situation.
• Tesla Robotaxis, which use end-to-end models, were unaffected by the San Francisco power outage, highlighting a fundamental difference in autonomous vehicle technology approaches.
• Baidu is collaborating with Lyft and Uber to introduce self-driving cars to London, a city that has not yet fully embraced autonomous vehicle technology.
• Coinbase acquired The Clearing Company to expand its exchange capabilities in prediction markets, continuing its trend of aggressive acquisitions from 2019 to 2025.