Remix.run Logo
coin 6 hours ago

"it's too hard" should never be an excuse to break the law

jrowen 5 hours ago | parent [-]

The argument is that "our customers expect this behavior because everyone else does it." Not that they tried to change it and failed.

scoofy 5 hours ago | parent [-]

This is as unacceptable as telling people in wheelchairs “you don’t matter, our other customers prefer a bathroom you can’t fit in.”

jrowen 5 hours ago | parent [-]

Well, there are a lot of non-ADA-compliant bathrooms out there, for one reason or another. But that's up to inspectors to enforce. If they're letting it slide in human-built businesses then AI-built businesses will hew to that.

It's also a lot different with a permanent installation that is verified once than this kind of tragedy-of-the-commons temporary minor abuse of public space.

scoofy 5 hours ago | parent [-]

The ADA is enforced by lawsuits — not inspectors — exactly because businesses can’t be trusted to follow the rules that most of their customers don’t like.

jrowen 4 hours ago | parent | next [-]

I mean, if it comes to a lawsuit, sure, but the system is designed so that permitting and inspectors catch most of it. If you're trying to build your bathroom under the radar without a permit that's an entirely different analogy.

But either way, it is the responsibility of the regulatory body to enforce. As other people have noted, this is not a Waymo problem, they're just following the status quo.

scoofy 4 hours ago | parent [-]

Again… it most definitely is a Waymo problem.

Exactly the case with the ADA. Since GOOGL is responsible for Waymo behavior, they will be liable in a class action suit where they willfully violated the law, putting others in danger, in selling their product.

There is not any way around it. You can avoid this issue like Lyft does, by having divers make that decision and by them being not worth suing, but GOOGL is worth suing, and you can’t intentionally violate the law and put folks in danger without it giving you massive amounts of liability.

jrowen an hour ago | parent [-]

Maybe, or, as we saw with ridesharing already, maybe they will change the laws. When push comes to shove, I don't believe there is enough will to overturn current practices to preserve the sanctity of the bike lane at the expense of car traffic.

knollimar 4 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

huh? I work in construction (electrical drafter) and I've been called out for my installs not being ADA (after the designer gave me a non-ADA compliant design).