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☆ Elon Musk’s worst nightmare
▼ + stars: | 2023-10-12 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +13 min

It's hard to tell, for a simple reason: The data on the safety of robot cars sucks. Until robot cars have traveled for hundreds of millions of miles, there's no way to get a statistically significant, unequivocal conclusion. If the data on robot cars is equivocal or incomplete, then those rules should keep them off the road. In a sense, she's Elon Musk's worst nightmare. To her, the safety of self-driving cars is not an abstract question.

Persons: Missy Cummings, Elon Musk, Cummings, Elon, Musk, Tesla, stans, Musk's, —, that's, Terry Chea, Big, Waymo, Kyle Vogt, Cruise, Vogt, hillier, it's, Steven Shladover, Missy, She's, she's Elon, Don Quixote, Adam Rogers Organizations: Twitter, Duke University, National, Traffic, Musk's bros, NHTSA, George Mason University, Cruise, Navy, LinkedIn, Waymo, UC Berkeley's Institute of Transportation Studies, San, Boeing, Max Locations: San Francisco, Muskovites, Silicon, Silicon Valley, California

☆ China's capital city is letting the public take fully driverless robotaxis — and has bigger rollout plans, startup Pony.ai says
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-19 | by ( Evelyn Cheng | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

Vcg | Visual China Group | Getty ImagesBEIJING — China's capital city is taking swift steps to allow robotaxi businesses to grow. As of Tuesday, the suburban Beijing city district of Yizhuang is officially letting local robotaxi operators — primarily Baidu and startup Pony.ai — charge fares for fully autonomous taxis, with no human staff inside. "We have very high confidence ... maybe only in three years, our full driverless vehicles are going to be running over the whole Beijing city," he said in an interview with CNBC on Monday. Out of more than 200 robotaxis that Pony.ai operates in the region, only about ten are currently fully driverless, Zhang said. Beijing city did not immediately respond to a CNBC request for comment.

Persons: Ning Zhang, Beijing's, Zhang, Yin Yong, Pony.ai, Baidu, Alphabet's Waymo, Pony.ai's Zhang, —, Leswing, Lora Kolodny Organizations: Visual China, Getty, BEIJING, Baidu, CNBC, Daxing International, robotaxis, General Motors, California Department of Motor Vehicles, Beijing Daxing, Google Locations: Beijing, Yizhuang, Pony.ai, Yizhuang district, Daxing, U.S, San Francisco, California, China, Shenzhen, Wuhan, Chongqing, Guangzhou, Shanghai

☆ General Motors' Cruise unveils wheelchair-accessible robotaxi
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] A self-driving GM Bolt EV is seen during a media event where Cruise, GM's autonomous car unit, showed off its self-driving cars in San Francisco, California, U.S. November 28, 2017. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage/File Photo Acquire Licensing RightsSAN FRANCISCO, Sept 14 (Reuters) - General Motors' (GM.N) robotaxi unit Cruise on Thursday unveiled a self-driving vehicle that is accessible to people with disabilities even as it waits for a key regulatory approval to build and deploy vehicles without human controls. The wheelchair-accessible vehicle called Cruise WAV is based on its Origin driverless vehicle that operates without a steering wheel and pedals with room for passengers to sit facing each other. Raid-hailing firms, including robotaxi operators, have faced criticism for not having enough wheelchair-accessible vehicles available for disabled people, who often face shortages and significant wait times. Reporting by Abhirup Roy in San FranciscoOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Elijah Nouvelage, Cruise, Alphabet's, Waymo, Abhirup Roy Organizations: GM Bolt, REUTERS, FRANCISCO, General Motors, Chevrolet Bolt, National, Traffic Safety Administration, NHTSA, Thomson Locations: San Francisco , California, U.S, San Francisco

☆ What it is like riding inside an autonomous taxi in San Francisco
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Matt Rosoff | Sydney Boyo | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

In this videoShare Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWhat it is like riding inside an autonomous taxi in San FranciscoCNBC Tech and Climate editor Matt Rosoff takes a Waymo ride in San Francisco with his teenage son.

Persons: Matt Rosoff Organizations: San Francisco CNBC Tech Locations: San, San Francisco

☆ I took my first self-driving car ride with my teenage son and it felt comfortably dull
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-11 | by ( Matt Rosoff | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

My son Marlon has been obsessed with self-driving cars this year, as we've seen more and more Waymos and competing GM Cruise vehicles tootling around San Francisco without safety drivers. Last month, Waymo and Cruise won approval to operate driverless cars in San Francisco at any time of day. So with self-driving cars a common feature of our local landscape, we were excited to give one a try. The car pulled up with my initials, MR, on the display below the rotating lidar sensor on the roof. I was a skeptic about the promise of self-driving cars.

Persons: Waymo, Marlon, Cruise Organizations: Cruise, NBC Bay Area Locations: San Francisco

☆ Cruise disputes claim that its autonomous vehicle delayed first responders
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-02 | by ( Gia Vang | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

A Cruise self-driving car, which is owned by General Motors Corp, is seen outside the company's headquarters in San Francisco. The company Cruise is pushing back against an accusation from the San Francisco Fire Department, which claims that one of the company's autonomous vehicles delayed an ambulance after a deadly accident. The department said emergency medical service crews faced a problem getting to the collision: two Cruise taxis blocking the road. But NBC Bay Area was able to review a nearly 13 minute video which is purportedly the incident in question. It appears to show what the company describes, including the ambulance managing to squeeze by the stopped Cruise car.

Persons: Cruise, It's, Aaron Peskin, Peskin Organizations: General Motors Corp, San Francisco Fire Department, NBC, Area, California Public Utilities Commission, Cruise Locations: San Francisco

☆ Alphabet moonshots are ready for launch
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Anita Ramaswamy | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Alphabet logo and AI Artificial Intelligence words are seen in this illustration taken, May 4, 2023. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration Acquire Licensing RightsNEW YORK, Aug 29 (Reuters Breakingviews) - Alphabet (GOOGL.O) is poised to welcome the autumn harvest. Verily boss Stephen Gillett told employees this month that it will cut its ties to several of Alphabet’s services next year. Such a financial services business strays from Alphabet’s wheelhouse, and with artificial intelligence demanding fresh attention, it’s wise to be prudent about capital allocation. Waymo, the autonomous vehicle technology business, secured a vote of approval this month from San Francisco to operate driverless rideshares in the city.

Persons: Dado Ruvic, Ruth Porat, Morgan Stanley, ”, Stephen Gillett, wheelhouse, Chris Hohn’s, Ford, Porat, Verily, Jeffrey Goldfarb, Aditya Sriwatsav Organizations: REUTERS, Reuters, Life Sciences, Wall Street Journal, Temasek, TCI Fund Investments, Google, Sciences, Wall, Thomson Locations: San Francisco

☆ Tesla Autopilot safety probe by federal vehicle regulators nears completion
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Lora Kolodny | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

A multiyear investigation into the safety of Tesla's driver assistance systems by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, is drawing to a close. Tesla cars cannot function as robotaxis like those operated by General Motors -owned Cruise or Alphabet 's Waymo. Tesla CEO Elon Musk — who also owns and runs the social network X (formerly Twitter) — often implies Tesla cars are autonomous. But it's not clear that this is a strong enough system to ensure safe use of Tesla's driver assistance features. In 23 of these incidents, the agency report says, Tesla's driver assistance features were in use within 30 seconds of the collision.

Persons: David Shepardson, Ann Carlson, Elon Musk —, —, Musk, Tesla, Elon Organizations: National, Traffic Safety Administration, Reuters, CNBC, NHTSA, General Motors, FSD Beta, SAE International, Ford Locations: U.S

☆ Where Uber's climate and autonomous driving goals will meet in the future
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-24 | by ( Tim Mullaney | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +10 min

"For most of our history, profitable wasn't the first thing that came up when you asked someone about Uber," Khosrowshahi said on Uber's second-quarter conference call Aug. 1. The $1 a ride alone can add up to $4,000 to a driver's annual revenue, the company says. All of them will compete for customers on Uber's platform much as hotels search for business on Expedia.com – a business once run by Khosrowshahi. Indeed, one threat to Uber's current status as a market darling is if AV makers, especially Tesla, decide to compete with Uber directly for riders, Zino said. Khosrowshahi told Sellers that 10-20% of Uber drivers may soon be robots, but said he still thinks more people will be driving for Uber than there are today.

Persons: Angelo Zino, Uber, Savannah, Khosrowshahi, Dara Khosrowshahi, Zino, Scott Devitt, Morgan Stanley's Brian Nowak, undercharging, They've, Devitt, –, Hertz, That's, Tracy Lynn Young, Tesla, they've, Cruise, AVs, Sellers Organizations: GM, General Motors, Ideas, Uber Technologies, Aurora, Wedbush Securities, Hyundai, Tesla, EVgo, EVs, TrueCar.com, Uber, CNBC, Hertz, Waymo, Cruise, Khosrowshahi Locations: California, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Hyundai Kona, London, U.S, North America, Atlanta

☆ GM’s Cruise to slash fleet of robotaxis by 50% in San Francisco after collisions
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Samantha Delouya | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —California authorities have asked General Motors to “immediately” take some of its Cruse robotaxis off the road after autonomous vehicles were involved in two collisions – including one with an active fire truck – last week in San Francisco. The California DMV said that Cruise has agreed to the request, and a spokesperson from Cruise told CNN that the company is investigating the firetruck crash as well. General Motors acquired Cruise Automation in 2016 for $1 billion, solidifying its place in the autonomous vehicles race, but many companies have since scaled back, or abandoned their driverless car ambitions. Ridesharing giants Uber and Lyft have both sold autonomous vehicle units in recent years. Even Tesla CEO Elon Musk, who has been optimistic about autonomous vehicle technology, has yet to fully deliver on his promise.

Persons: Motors, Cruse, ”, Cruise, Waymo, San Francisco, “, ” Hannah Lindow, Elon Musk Organizations: CNN, California’s Department of Motor Vehicles, Cruise, General Motors, California DMV, San, AV, Cruise Automation Locations: California, “, San Francisco

My Waymo pulled into a parking lot six minutes later than it had initially predicted. It glided through the parking lot to a small, empty space where the map on the touch screen showed a circle. The Waymo rides were affordable, ranging from $18 to $21, about the same as an Uber. It’s going to take years — if not decades — for Waymo to recoup the billions of dollars that it has invested in its service. Though there’s no driver, each ride is supported by staff at a Waymo site that can be summoned if a car runs into trouble.

Persons: “, Mike, Uber Organizations: Chalet Locations: Golden, Waymo

☆ San Francisco officials want to stop robotaxis operating 24/7 after one got stuck in concrete and others caused traffic chaos
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-21 | by ( Hasan Chowdhury | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

San Francisco is getting ready to tell robotaxi operators: not so fast. San Francisco wants robotaxi operators to slow things down amid a series of unfortunate events. San Francisco City Attorney David Chiu filed motions to the California Public Utilities Commission, the regulatory body that voted in favor of full-scale robotaxi services this month, asking for permits to be temporarily suspended, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. Previously, Waymo could only offer rides without charge and Cruise was limited to operating in about a third of San Francisco. However, San Francisco residents have been increasingly vocal about their city becoming a dangerous test-bed for driverless car technology amid fears the robotaxis will cause havoc.

Persons: Francisco, Cruise, General Motors, David Chiu, Aaron Peskin, Axios, Waymo Organizations: General, California Public Utilities Commission, San Francisco Chronicle, Cruise, San Francisco, of Supervisors, San Locations: San Francisco, San Francisco City

☆ Self-driving car company Cruise agreed to reduce its driverless fleet by 50% after a spate of recent crashes. San Francisco officials previously pushed for a slower rollout of robotaxis.
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-20 | by ( Lloyd Lee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

City officials previously told Insider the approval would be "premature." Cruise, a self-driving car company, agreed to slash its driverless taxi operation in San Francisco by half on Friday following reports of two separate crashes involving its vehicles. One Cruise vehicle also drove into wet concrete at a construction site. Another collision occurred that evening, in which another vehicle ran a red light "at a high rate of speed," the company told Insider. Tilly Chang, executive director of the San Francisco County Transportation Authority (SFCTA), previously told Insider that her agency believes approving the permits would be "premature."

Persons: Alphabet's Waymo, Darcie Houck, robotaxis, Cruise, San Francisco, Tilly Chang, Chang, We've, Joe Castiglione, SFCTA's, CPUC, Castiglione Organizations: California Department of Motor Vehicles, DMV, California Public Utilities Commission, CBS, City, San, San Francisco County Transportation Authority Locations: California, San Francisco, San Francisco County, —

☆ California regulator probes crashes involving GM's Cruise robotaxis
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

A Cruise self-driving car, which is owned by General Motors Corp, is seen outside the company's headquarters in San Francisco where it does most of its testing, in California, U.S., September 26, 2018. The statement from California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) came after a Cruise robotaxi was involved in a crash with an emergency vehicle in San Francisco late on Thursday, the latest accident involving the self-driving cars. The two have been running robotaxi tests limited by times and geographic areas within San Francisco. San Francisco will suffer serious harms from this unfettered expansion," he said in a statement. Reporting by Abhirup Roy and Hyunjoo Jin in San Francisco; editing by Diane Craft and Sonali PaulOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Heather Somerville, robotaxi, Cruise, David Chiu, Abhirup Roy, Hyunjoo Jin, Diane Craft, Sonali Paul Organizations: General Motors Corp, REUTERS, FRANCISCO, General Motors, California Department of Motor Vehicles, DMV, San Francisco Police Department, Reuters, California Public Utilities Commission, City, Thomson Locations: San Francisco, California, U.S, Cruise

☆ Cruise will reduce robotaxi fleet by 50% in San Francisco while California DMV investigates ‘incidents’
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Kif Leswing | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

In an aerial view, Chevrolet Cruise autonomous vehicles sit parked in a staging area on June 08, 2023 in San Francisco, California. Cruise will reduce its robotaxi fleet by 50% in San Francisco, the California Department of Motor Vehicles told CNBC. "The DMV is investigating recent concerning incidents involving Cruise vehicles in San Francisco," a DMV spokesperson said in a statement. In addition to the crash with a firetruck, one Cruise vehicle reportedly got stuck in concrete, and an autonomous vehicle with a passenger got hit by a driver. Last weekend, a slew of Cruise vehicles stalled and slowed traffic outside an outdoor music festival.

Persons: Alphabet's Waymo, Cruise, Greg Dietrerich, Dietrerich, — CNBC's Lora Kolodny Organizations: Chevrolet Cruise, Cruise, California Department of Motor Vehicles, CNBC, General Motors, San, DMV, Cruises Locations: San Francisco , California, Autonomous, San Francisco

☆ GM's Cruise robotaxi collides with fire truck in San Francisco
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Initial investigation shows the collision occurred when a fire truck was operating in an emergency with its forward facing red lights and siren on, the San Francisco Police Department said in a statement to Reuters. The San Francisco Fire Department did not respond to requests for comment. The two have been running robotaxi tests limited by times and geographic areas within San Francisco. San Francisco will suffer serious harms from this unfettered expansion," he said in a statement. Reporting by Abhirup Roy in San Francisco; editing by Diane CraftOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Persons: Heather Somerville, robotaxi, Cruise, David Chiu, Abhirup Roy, Diane Craft Organizations: General Motors Corp, REUTERS, FRANCISCO, General Motors, Twitter, San Francisco Police Department, Reuters, Cruise, San Francisco Fire Department, California Public Utilities Commission, City, Thomson Locations: San Francisco, California, U.S, Cruise

☆ As well as 24-hour robotaxis, San Francisco now has a driverless bus service too
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-19 | by ( Polly Thompson | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

A driverless bus will run a seven-stop loop around Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay. San Francisco authorities last week allowed driverless taxis to operate 24 hours a day. Just a week after allowing robotaxis to operate around the clock, San Francisco has launched an driverless shuttle bus service. A day after the announcement, a number of self-driving cars stalled in San Francisco, leading to a bizarre traffic jam captured on video. Beep and the San Francisco County Transportation Authority did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Insider, made outside normal working hours.

Persons: Shelly Caran, John Reynolds Organizations: Miami Zoo, Associated Press, Passengers, AP, California Public Utilities Commission, San, San Francisco County Transportation Authority Locations: San Francisco Bay, San Francisco, Francisco, Florida, Yellowstone, San Francisco County

kevin rooseAnd you’re listening to “Hard Fork.”casey newtonThis week on the show, Sam Bankman-Fried goes to jail. If you give me, like, 1 percent of the internet, that’s going to give me an aneurysm. And those three are actually going to get to live that out. So I actually think the classroom of the future looks remarkably like the classroom today, but you reverse what you’re doing in it. And I think that’s another piece, is we have to not be delusional about what has actually happened in education.

Persons: casey newton, Joe Rogan, kevin roose You’re, casey newton They’ve, kevin roose They’ve, who’s, kevin roose, Kevin Roose, ” casey newton, Casey Newton, Sam Bankman, Fried, what’s, Wharton, Ethan Malek, kevin roose Casey, I’ve, casey newton Guy’s, David Jaffe Bellini, David, ” david jaffe bellini, casey newton Hi, ’, he’s, david jaffe bellini, david jaffe bellini That’s, they’re, Sam’s, there’s, that’s, Casey, — casey newton, david jaffe bellini I’m, he’d, Caroline Ellison, Caroline Ellison’s, Caroline, She’s, we’ve, they’ve, Sam, He’s, I’m, haven’t, It’s, You’ve, There’s, you’re, Ryan Salem, hasn’t, Gary, Nishad, They’ve, SBF, casey newton Look, Harlem Globetrotters ’, it’s, Kevin, casey newton Oh, kevin roose David Jaffe Bellini, we’re, kevin roose It’s, “, casey newton Sure, Ethan Mollick Ethan, kevin roose Ethan Mollick, ” ethan mollick, ethan mollick, That’s, casey newton Tell, ChatGPT, ethan mollick —, you’ve, Steve Jobs, don’t, You’ll, ethan mollick Oh, casey newton Well, We’ve, kevin roose I’m, Ethan, casey newton It’s, they’d, you’ll, They’re, Ethan Mollick, casey newton —, should’ve, let’s, Cruise, casey newton That’s, — david jaffe bellini, kevin roose —, ”, Alex, casey newton Hey, casey newton Yes, Kyle Vogt, Franciscans, I’ll, kevin roose Totally, casey newton Yep, Uber, casey newton Right, Dirk, Kevin kevin roose, shouldn’t, — casey newton Yes, casey newton Don’t, Rachel Cohn, Davis, We’re, Jen Poyant, Caitlin Love, Sophia Lanman, Dan Powell, Marion Lozano, Rowan Niemisto, Paula Shoeman, Tam, David McCraw, Nell Gallogly, Kate LoPresti, Jeffrey Miranda Organizations: Spotify, The New York Times, FTX, Conference, NFL, Google, “ New York Times, MDC, Republican, Alameda, Twitter, Harlem Globetrotters, Washington Generals, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, Fork University, Caud Academy, they’re, TA, . University, University, Hard Fork, Wharton, DMs, San, San Francisco, Cruise, Department of Motor Vehicles, University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, Virginia Tech Transportation, YouTube Locations: New York, California, Bahamas, Alameda, FTX, autodelete, Caroline, Wharton, GPT, Kenya, America, San Francisco, Charlotte , North Carolina, Texas, North Beach, Cruise, Franciscans, robotaxis, AVs, Rhode Island, Zurich, Paris, Madrid, Swiss, Switzerland

☆ Cruise Agrees to Reduce Driverless Car Fleet in San Francisco After Crash
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Yiwen Lu | More About Yiwen Lu | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

Less than a day after one of its driverless taxis collided with a fire truck in a San Francisco intersection, Cruise agreed on Friday to a request from state regulators to cut in half the number of vehicles it was operating in the city. On Friday, the California Department of Motor Vehicles, which regulates the safety of the driverless cars, asked Cruise to halve the number of vehicles it was operating in San Francisco. The Cruise vehicle’s collision with a fire truck the day before had injured a passenger in the driverless car. Earlier in the week, another Cruise vehicle got stuck in newly poured concrete on another city street. The company, which now has 400 vehicles operating in San Francisco, will have no more than 50 driverless cars running during the day and 150 at night.

Persons: Cruise Organizations: California Public Utilities Commission, General Motors, Google, California Department of Motor Vehicles Locations: San Francisco, Cruise

☆ Cruise robotaxi gets in accident with San Francisco fire truck, one injured
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Rohan Goswami | In Rohangoswamicnbc | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

A Cruise self-driving car, which is owned by General Motors Corp, is seen outside the company's headquarters in San Francisco. A Cruise self-driving car was involved in an accident with a San Francisco Fire Department truck just one week after California regulators approved 24-7 robotaxi service in San Francisco. The San Francisco Police Department was not immediately available for comment on the matter. California's Public Utility Commission voted 3 to 1 last week to approve the rollout of driverless, fare-collecting vehicles in San Francisco. Self-driving cars from Cruise and Alphabet -subsidiary Waymo had already become regular sights on San Francisco roads in the preceding months.

Persons: Cruise, Waymo, Kyle Vogt, San, San Francisco firefighters, Jeanine Nicholson, Nicholson Organizations: General Motors Corp, San Francisco Fire Department, Twitter, ABC, San Francisco Police Department, CNBC, San Francisco, Francisco Fire, NPR, Cruise, General Motors, Microsoft, Honda, Walmart Locations: San Francisco, California, Tenderloin, Polk, Turk

☆ A driverless car in San Francisco drove right into wet concrete and got stuck after seemingly mistaking it for a regular road: 'It ain't got a brain'
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A driverless Cruise car got temporarily stuck in wet concrete in San Francisco on Tuesday. A driverless Cruise car with no passengers got stuck in wet concrete at a construction site in San Francisco on Tuesday, SFGATE first reported. "It thinks it's a road and it ain't because it ain't got a brain and it can't tell that it's freshly poured concrete," Harvey told SFGATE. A rise in commercial AVs in San Francisco would "inevitably lead to an increase in traffic congestion and the number of dangerous incidents," Chiu's office said in a press release. "San Francisco will suffer serious harms from this unfettered expansion, which outweigh whatever impacts AV companies may experience from a minimal pause in commercial deployment."

Persons: SFGATE, Paul Harvey, Harvey, Rachel Gordon, Cruise, Gordon, David Chiu, Chiu, Waymo Organizations: San Francisco Department of Public, New York Times, Times, California Public Utilities Commission, General Motors, Google Locations: San Francisco, California, SF, Francisco

☆ A famed Silicon Valley VC who left for the UK says he wouldn't live in San Francisco with kids after men fired gunshots a few blocks from his dinner
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-17 | by ( Sawdah Bhaimiya | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Y Combinator founder Paul Graham said he wouldn't live in San Francisco with kids due to crime. Graham, who lives in the UK, said he was out for dinner when masked men fired gunshots nearby. Robotaxi companies Cruise and Waymo recently got the go-ahead from the city to offer fully driverless rides 24/7 in San Francisco. Graham and the San Francisco Police Department did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment about the incident. The San Francisco Chronicle reported that some of this feeling may be down to the public and "brazen" nature of the crimes.

Persons: Paul Graham, Graham, Y, Waymo, Elon Musk, Nordstrom, Bob Lee Organizations: Morning, San Francisco Police Department, City, San Francisco Chronicle, Old Navy, Foods, New York Times, Times Locations: San Francisco, Francisco's, City and County

☆ Cruise robocabs got stuck in San Francisco, causing a bizarre traffic jam, which the company blamed on a festival taking up too much wireless bandwidth
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Grace Dean | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Some self-driving Cruise cars created a traffic jam when they stalled in San Francisco on Friday night. Self-driving Cruise cars stalled in San Francisco on Friday night, leading to a bizarre traffic jam captured on video. Reports suggest that around 10 Cruise cars were involved in the buildup, which is said to have lasted for about 15 or 20 minutes. The San Francisco Standard reported that Cruise cars also stalled on other streets near Golden Gate Park that night, leading to a road closure. He told The Los Angeles Times that he was inundated with texts, emails, and videos from constituents about the stalled cars.

Persons: Cruise, Kendrick Lamar, Janelle Monáe, Aaron Peskin, Jeffrey Bilbrey, KPIX, CPUC, AVs, John Reynolds Organizations: Morning, California Public Utilities Commission, Cruise, General Motors, Google, San Francisco Standard, San Francisco, Supervisors, Los Angeles Times Locations: San Francisco, California, Beach, Golden, North Beach

☆ Sex in self-driving cars: Passengers are reportedly hooking up in San Francisco's driverless taxis
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-15 | by ( Kylie Kirschner | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Riders are reportedly using San Francisco's self-driving taxis, operated by Cruise, to hook up. A 2018 study predicted that more autonomous vehicles could mean more sex on the road. With no one in the front seat driving, some people are using self-driving taxis for a little bit more than just transportation. A 2018 study by Scott Cohen and Debbie Hopkins in the Annals of Tourism Research journal predicted that passengers might use robotaxis for sex. "Hotels-by the hour are likely to be replaced by connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs)," the researchers wrote.

Persons: Cruise, Waymo, Alex, he's, Megan, Scott Cohen, Debbie Hopkins, Elon Musk Organizations: Cruise, San Francisco, California Public Utilities Commission, Tourism Research, Tesla Locations: San Francisco, California, robotaxis

☆ Cruise vehicles cause weekend traffic jam one day after California approves 24-7 robotaxi service
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-14 | by ( Hayden Field | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

In an aerial view, Chevrolet Cruise autonomous vehicles sit parked in a staging area on June 08, 2023 in San Francisco, California. On Thursday, California regulators voted to approve round-the-clock robotaxi service in San Francisco from two rival companies: Waymo and Cruise. By Friday night, a group of Cruise vehicles had stopped short in the city's North Beach neighborhood, flashing hazard lights and causing a traffic backup, according to reports. "There's over 10,000 human ride-hail drivers in San Francisco, potentially much more than that, depending on how you count it," Vogt said on the call. So it does not make a very high number to generate significant revenue in a city like San Francisco.

Persons: Cruise, Waymo, Tekedra Mawakana, Chris Ludwick, We've, Ludwick, Kyle Vogt, Vogt Organizations: Chevrolet Cruise, California's Public Utilities Commission, Google, Cruise, General Motors, CNBC Locations: San Francisco , California, Autonomous, San Francisco, California, Cruise, Beach, U.S, Vallejo, North Beach

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