Waymo Doesn't Want to Put On a Show

The company insists it will not be rushed. That's a glaring contrast to Uber's hard-charging efforts, which skidded to a halt after one of its self-driving test cars killed pedestrian Elaine Herzberg in Tempe, Arizona, in 2018. It's also notably different from Tesla, which incrementally updates its "Autopilot" software for cars that are already on the road, while casually reminding drivers that "Autopilot" doesn't mean the car is fully autonomous. Waymo's more measured approach could indeed be a savvy move: The Edelman Trust Barometer shows that consumer confidence in autonomous vehicles is low. In this year's edition of the survey, only 54 percent of respondents in 27 markets worldwide said they trust AVs.