Waymo’s co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana insists her company’s self-driving technology is safer than human drivers, but recent incidents and federal investigations are testing public trust. In a New York Times interview, Mawakana acknowledged the burden of proof lies with Waymo, calling its safety standards “superhuman” after a vehicle struck a child in Santa Monica but allowed the child to walk away unharmed. The company, backed by $16 billion in fresh funding and valued at $126 billion, faces scrutiny over crashes involving school buses and blocked ambulances, raising questions about its expansion into cities like New York and London.

Critics argue regulators must establish uniform safety standards as Tesla and Zoox deploy competing robotaxi tech.