Tekedra Mawakana challenges AV competitors to prove road safety claims, saying transparency is essential as companies scale driverless tech.
Safety Must Come First, Says Waymo’s Leader
During a keynote interview at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, Waymo co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana made it clear: companies developing autonomous vehicles (AVs) must do far more to prove their technology is safe.
When asked which companies she believes are making roads safer, Mawakana replied pointedly:
“I don’t know who’s on that list, because they’re not telling us what’s happening with their fleets.”
Waymo: Backed by Data
Mawakana took the opportunity to spotlight Waymo’s own safety credentials, citing new internal data:
- Waymo’s robotaxis are 5× safer than human drivers
- They are 12× safer when it comes to pedestrian safety
She emphasized that safety and scale must go hand in hand, arguing that any company removing human drivers has a responsibility to share clear, verifiable data with the public.
A Thinly Veiled Critique of Tesla?
Though she stopped short of naming Tesla, Mawakana’s comments seemed to target companies that are not transparent about real-world performance.
- Tesla releases quarterly safety reports, but they focus on Autopilot, not the company’s robotaxi pilot program in Austin, Texas.
- Autopilot is designed for highway use, where crash rates are lower, potentially skewing Tesla’s safety figures.
In contrast, Waymo’s data reflects urban driving environments, where complexity and risk are higher.
Other AV Companies Still in Early Stages
Several other companies are just beginning to deploy or test AVs:
- Zoox has started limited service in Las Vegas with its custom-built robotaxis.
- May Mobility and Pony AI are launching early commercial operations.
- Aurora, which focuses on autonomous trucks, has published a safety framework, but lacks large-scale public ride data.
Mawakana called on these companies to do more than outline policies — she urged real-world transparency on performance and safety outcomes.
The Case for Transparency
Mawakana made her position clear:
“If you’re going to put vehicles on the road… it is incumbent upon you to be transparent about what’s happening. And if you are not, then you are not doing what is necessary to earn the right to make the road safer.”
Her statement reflects growing public scrutiny around AV safety, especially as vehicles without drivers become more common in urban settings.
A Call to Earn Public Trust
Waymo appears to be positioning itself as the standard-bearer for safety in autonomous driving. By highlighting its data-driven approach, Mawakana not only defended Waymo’s progress but challenged the industry to hold itself accountable — especially as robotaxis move from testing to widespread deployment.
