Tech reviewer Marques Brownlee, known as MKBHD, recently released a video detailing his back-to-back experiences with Tesla's nascent Robotaxi service and Waymo's established autonomous vehicles, providing a candid comparison of their capabilities. The review, which involved rides in Texas, notably featured an incident where Brownlee's phone was left behind in a Tesla Robotaxi, leading him to utilize a Waymo vehicle in an attempt to retrieve it. This unique situation underscored the differing operational paradigms of the two autonomous ride-hailing services.
Brownlee's video, titled "Investigating the Tesla Robotaxi!", documented his firsthand encounters, including the unexpected challenge of a lost item in a driverless car. According to reports, after leaving his phone in a Tesla Robotaxi, he attempted to track the vehicle and, in a surprising turn, hailed a Waymo autonomous taxi to pursue the Tesla. This incident highlighted the current limitations of communication and intervention in fully autonomous systems, particularly when a human driver is not present.
Tesla's "Robotaxi" efforts primarily leverage its Full Self-Driving (FSD) Beta software, with a pilot program recently launched in South Austin, Texas, where human safety drivers are still present, albeit sometimes in the passenger seat. Tesla aims for a future where vehicle owners can deploy their cars as robotaxis, creating a decentralized fleet. This approach contrasts with Waymo's model, which operates a dedicated fleet of fully driverless vehicles in select cities like Phoenix, San Francisco, and Austin, with plans for further expansion.
Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, has been lauded within the industry for its robust, geofenced operations, focusing on highly detailed mapping and controlled service areas. While Waymo has expanded its driverless rides since October 2024, Tesla's expansion in Austin has reportedly given it a larger potential service area in that specific city, including the University of Texas campus. The comparison often revolves around Waymo's established Level 4 autonomy within defined zones versus Tesla's Level 2 driver-assist system with aspirations for broader, unsupervised autonomy.
Industry observers note that Waymo's strategy involves a more cautious, gradual rollout with extensive testing and safety protocols, while Tesla's approach relies on a wider user base contributing data to its FSD development. Brownlee's review contributes to the ongoing public discourse regarding the readiness, reliability, and practical user experience of autonomous ride services, emphasizing that despite advancements, both systems present distinct operational characteristics and challenges for consumers.