During her appearance at TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 on Monday, Waymo’s co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana emphasized a central point: “Scaling up is essential.”
Mawakana discussed the delicate balance between raising capital (and spending it) and ultimately reaching profitability. She also made it clear that she believes expanding Waymo’s operations will lead to safer roads.
This urgency helps clarify why Waymo has been aggressively expanding this year, with plans to enter additional U.S. cities—including D.C., Miami, Denver, Dallas, Seattle, and Nashville—as well as London in 2026. The company has been moving rapidly, forming alliances with firms like Uber, Lyft, and Avis to accelerate its growth.
“By the close of 2026, our goal is to be providing a million rides each week,” she stated.
Throughout her conversation with TechCrunch transportation editor Kirsten Korosec, Mawakana focused on the complexities of expanding safely to such a large scale.
The co-CEO asserted that Waymo’s safety standards already surpass those of average human drivers. Without naming specific rivals, she criticized other companies for not doing enough to demonstrate that their autonomous technology is genuinely safe.
“They have a responsibility to be open about their operations,” she remarked. “If you’re not being open, then in my opinion, you’re not taking the necessary steps to truly make roads safer.”
Her remarks come as Waymo continues to address unusual scenarios during its rollout—most recently, an incident in Atlanta, Georgia, where a Waymo car drove in front of a stationary school bus, prompting an investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Waymo recently published a report claiming its vehicles are already five times less likely to be involved in accidents than human drivers, and twelve times safer when it comes to pedestrian safety.
Nevertheless, there have been instances where Waymo vehicles have made questionable choices.
“We have to acknowledge that perfection isn’t possible, but that doesn’t excuse a lack of transparency,” Mawakana said on stage. “As a company, we’re always concerned about those moments. We don’t ask if they’ll happen, but when, and we prepare accordingly.”
Mawakana also noted that Waymo doesn’t set a limit on “how many [incidents] are acceptable.”
“We understand incidents will occur because our vehicles share the road with human drivers, and unfortunately, the current state of driving means there are many fatalities and injuries on the roads,” she explained.
When asked if the public would tolerate a fatality caused by a robotaxi given the promise of improved safety, Mawakana responded, “I believe society will.”
