Waymo Layoffs

Previously:<p><i>Waymo is scaling back its self-driving truck ambitions</i> <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=36886514">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=36886514</a> (July 26, 2023 — 3 points, 1 comments)<p><i>Alphabet’s Waymo cuts more than 100 jobs in second round of layoffs</i> <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=34988618">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=34988618</a> (March 1, 2023 — 37 points, 7 comments)

I can’t imagine three layoffs in a year is great for morale.<p>Is there a reason they chose this sort of trickling layoffs approach?

It&#x27;s a shame that companies that are actually creating great tech and solving difficult problems are shrinking while some vaporware nonsense raises a billion:<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theverge.com&#x2F;2023&#x2F;9&#x2F;28&#x2F;23893939&#x2F;jony-ive-openai-sam-altman-iphone-of-artificial-intelligence-device" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.theverge.com&#x2F;2023&#x2F;9&#x2F;28&#x2F;23893939&#x2F;jony-ive-openai-...</a>

Is there a conclusion that the taxi service kind of works and just needs to fix a few minor issues around the edges fixed to work in limited city use in many cities, or is it so far away it&#x27;s not even close?

To anyone following this space, this was inevitable. Also, What is going on at google these days, I don&#x27;t see them having a competitive advantage in any industry after this decade..

ultimately, Google is just not run very well and having a firehose of cash for twenty years meant no one noticed

Layoffs in what&#x27;s supposed to be an emerging growth industry? Looks like a signal that the growth opportunity isn&#x27;t actually there.

Does Waymo still have two CEOs? Seems like an unusual situation that isn&#x27;t sustainable if tough decisions need to get made.

Just goes to show that even Google over-leveraged on hiring and is shutting down products left, right and center. The AI race to zero is not helping them at all as well as the anti-trust trial of the decade.<p>They will survive, but broken up.<p>So more layoffs to come, unfortunately from the correction of the zero interest rate phenomenon with decades long QE all coming to an end.

Are there a lot to be done near term in SDC, or has it been stagnating for a while?

Not enough numbers to trigger disclosure laws?<p>Previous round was dozens?<p>So we&#x27;re talking 15 employees?

At this point how long before the fed starts to lower rates.

Does it make money? No Does it make you drive your car safely while sleeping ? No<p>Does learn to drive such a hard thing? No<p>Then why do we need this kind of company? I don’t know.