A recent citywide power outage in San Francisco laid bare a critical flaw in Waymo’s autonomous driving system: its inability to function reliably when basic infrastructure fails. The incident, triggered by a substation fire that left up to 130,000 residents without power, saw multiple Waymo robotaxis come to a standstill in heavy traffic, underscoring the limitations of even the most advanced self-driving technology.
The Outage and Initial Response
On Saturday afternoon, as power lines went dark across San Francisco, traffic signals failed, transit systems stalled, and congestion quickly escalated. Waymo vehicles, designed to navigate intersections as four-way stops when signals malfunction, were overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the blackout. Videos circulating on social media showed multiple robotaxis halted in the middle of streets for hours, exacerbating already chaotic conditions.
Resident Matt Schoolfield reported seeing at least three stalled vehicles between 6 p.m. and 10 p.m., emphasizing how they simply “stopped in the middle of the street.” Waymo spokesperson Suzanne Philion later confirmed the issue, explaining that the system’s logic was overloaded by the widespread disruption. The company temporarily suspended operations Saturday evening, working with city officials to safely relocate its fleet.
Why This Matters: The Limits of Autonomous Logic
The incident raises a fundamental question: how can fully autonomous systems adapt to unpredictable real-world events? Human drivers routinely adjust to power outages, using common sense and situational awareness to navigate safely. Waymo’s cars, however, rely on pre-programmed responses that break down under extreme conditions.
This isn’t just a technical glitch; it’s a systemic weakness. Autonomous vehicles are marketed as safer and more efficient than human drivers, but this incident demonstrates their dependence on fully functioning infrastructure. The blackout exposed that dependence, highlighting a vulnerability that could have severe consequences in emergency situations.
Elon Musk’s Claim: A Misleading Comparison
Tesla CEO Elon Musk quickly seized on the failure, claiming his “Robotaxis were unaffected by the SF power outage.” This claim is misleading because Tesla does not currently operate a fully driverless robotaxi service in San Francisco. Its ride-hailing efforts rely on vehicles running “FSD (Supervised),” which still require a human driver behind the wheel at all times. The comparison is disingenuous since Tesla’s system doesn’t operate under the same fully autonomous parameters as Waymo’s.
The incident serves as a stark reminder that autonomous systems are not yet capable of replacing human drivers in all scenarios, especially when faced with unpredictable real-world failures.
The Waymo blackout failure proves that even leading-edge technology has critical blind spots. Until these weaknesses are addressed, fully autonomous vehicles will remain vulnerable to disruptions beyond their programmed capabilities.
