Alphabet’s self-driving car company Waymo has built the world’s smartest vehicles with access to the world’s best artificial intelligence, but there’s one barrier that it might have underestimated: people.

Key findings



Despite technical advances, Waymo will need to rely more on human factors such as community buy-in.



Waymo is preparing for a future contingent workforce as it tries to scale.



It still needs safety drivers in each car, which Waymo trains. The company also needs maintenance staff for each depot site, where it will do things like wash cars and change oil. Waymo also needs 24/7 operators to address rider support.



View



View PDF



Behind a hard paywall (paid accounts only)



Behind a soft paywall (limited views allowed until a paid account is required)