Waymo remains the dominant player in the robotaxi industry, with Tesla still lagging behind in autonomous ride-hailing, according to John Krafcik, the former CEO of Alphabet’s self-driving unit. In an interview with Business Insider, Krafcik reiterated his long-held view that Tesla is primarily an automaker with an advanced driver-assistance system rather than a direct competitor to Waymo.
“Tesla has aspired to compete with Waymo for nearly ten years, but they still don’t,” Krafcik said. “They’re a car company with a driver-assist system. They haven’t delivered a single fully autonomous revenue-generating ride yet, something Waymo is already doing a million times a month.”
Tesla plans to launch its Cybercab robotaxi service using its Unsupervised Full Self-Driving (FSD) system by mid-2025. Waymo, meanwhile, has expanded its operations, providing over 200,000 rides per week across multiple U.S. cities.
Cybercab Design Draws Criticism
Krafcik also criticized the design of Tesla’s Cybercab, a two-seat autonomous vehicle unveiled in 2024, arguing that its sci-fi aesthetic is impractical for a serious robotaxi business. He defended Waymo’s use of multiple sensors, including lidar, stating that their cost is negligible on a per-mile basis compared to the safety benefits they provide.
“If a company were serious about building a safe and accessible robotaxi business, it would look nothing like what was shown,” he said.
Waymo’s Lead Expected to Hold
Despite Tesla’s ambitions, Krafcik believes Waymo will maintain its advantage for at least three to five years. “They are the only company in the world successfully deploying an embodied AI replacement for a licensed human driver that can be integrated into any vehicle — and doing this at scale with third-party data verifying significant performance and safety advantages over human drivers,” he stated.
With Tesla aiming to enter the market next year, competition in the autonomous ride-hailing sector is set to intensify, but for now, Waymo remains the clear leader.
