Waymo is currently the robotaxi leader in the United States, and that status has put the company’s vehicles in the crosshairs of vandals several times over the past year — most recently this last weekend in Los Angeles. On the sidelines of TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said vandalism against Waymo’s robotaxi is “not OK.”
“Obviously, vandalism is a crime, so we’re very focused on working with law enforcement to make sure we’re going after the people who are committing these crimes against our fleet,” Mawakana told TechCrunch. “It doesn’t matter whose fleet it is. It’s not acceptable, it’s not okay, and so, property damage? We don’t support that.”
Privacy and surveillance concerns have become a major issue in protests during Trump’s second administration, especially as the administration ramps up its deportation efforts. At the same time, a broader public backlash against tech companies — especially those that enable surveillance — has resulted in many Waymo vehicles being damaged and burned by vandals.
During an interview on the main stage Monday, Mawakana repeated her earlier comments that Waymo rejects government requests for the video recorded by Waymo vehicles if those requests are “overbroad and unlawful.”
When asked behind the scenes what Waymo is doing to change the perception of its vehicles, Mawakana pointed to the company’s data push to put designs by local artists on some cars as part of a wider effort to “make the fleet more part of the community”. But while Waymo often rejects tracking requests, he said the company must “continue to work with first responders to help us address this challenge” of vandalism.
“They don’t want it in their cities. It doesn’t keep people safe. We don’t want it,” he said.
