On a Monday morning in December 2024, Mike Johns, a tech entrepreneur from Los Angeles, had an unsettling experience while riding in a Waymo autonomous vehicle on his way to Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix.
According to CBS News, the car began to circle a parking lot repeatedly, looping around the same spot eight times. Johns was stuck inside the car, unable to get out due to his seatbelt.
No Help in Sight
He questioned whether the car had been hacked, asking, “Has this been hacked? What’s going on?” He also mentioned feeling like he was “in the movies” as the car continued to circle.
Johns immediately called Waymo’s customer service, however, the representative stated they “don’t have an option to control the car.” The vehicle continued to circle the parking lot, leaving Johns increasingly frustrated.
A Close Call with His Flight
The situation was eventually resolved when the Waymo representative guided Johns through the company’s app, but admitted that she didn’t have the option to directly control the car.
According to The Guardian, the glitch lasted several minutes, after which the car stopped and Johns was able to continue his journey to the airport, catching his delayed flight just in time.
Additionally, Johns was also not charged for the ride.
Waymo later explained that the problem was caused by a software glitch, which has since been fixed with a routine update.
Will He Use Driverless Cars Again?
Despite the frustrating experience, Johns isn’t ready to give up on autonomous vehicles. As a futurist, he acknowledges that glitches are a part of technology development.
However, for now, he says he will stick to traditional ride-sharing services like Lyft or Uber until he feels more confident in the technology.
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