| ▲ | runako 20 hours ago |
| Divide this differently: - states where the major cities commonly have snow for > 3 months - states where the major cities commonly have snow for < 1 month Inclement weather is likely the differentiator. Blue state California gets Waymo in its biggest cities, which handily do not get much snow. The other Waymo cities are all below the Mason-Dixon Line. |
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| ▲ | xnx 20 hours ago | parent | next [-] |
| Blocked even from testing in NYC. Blocked from DC and Boston. Unfortunately this does have more to do with bad government than bad weather. |
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| ▲ | runako 19 hours ago | parent | next [-] | | Boston, according to Waymo[1], is dependent on the legislature making autonomous vehicles legal. Apparently NY state laws also require a human driver at the wheel. The only surprising thing about this is that other states did not require changes in law. It's Good, Actually, that big companies are (sometimes) bound by the same laws that bind the rest of us. In any case, there are more than 2-3 "blue" states. We can note that it's also not running in cold "red" states either. The climate angle fits the data best and aligns with what Waymo says, which aligns with what we have known about the tech for at least a decade. (That note also suggests they are still testing their cold-weather kit and are not quite ready.) 1 - https://waymo.com/blog/shorts/back-to-boston/ | | |
| ▲ | JumpCrisscross 18 hours ago | parent [-] | | > that big companies are (sometimes) bound by the same laws that bind the rest of us Not if they’re stupid laws! | | |
| ▲ | lokar 17 hours ago | parent [-] | | Even then. There is value in uniform rule of law. | | |
| ▲ | JumpCrisscross 17 hours ago | parent [-] | | > There is value in uniform rule of law Sure. OP's point is these products and investments are accruing disproportionately to red cities and states. Sinking together isn't a great pitch. | | |
| ▲ | lokar 16 hours ago | parent | next [-] | | I think elected state leaders should move to understand theses issues, hear from experts and the public, and craft good laws for these services. My state (CA) is doing well this. If your state is not, and this is important to you, I suggest you get involved in the process. Having companies ignore the law is not an alternative to the democratic process. | | |
| ▲ | JumpCrisscross 12 hours ago | parent [-] | | > My state (CA) is doing well this Yup. And I invest there. I’m pulling back from New York, which is a shame, because I love it and still have interests there. > Having companies ignore the law is not an alternative to the democratic process Straw man. Nobody said this. The point is the current system of incumbent worship is not working. If it takes flipping parties to prove that, I guess yeah, but that won’t result in more rule of law. |
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| ▲ | runako 17 hours ago | parent | prev [-] | | > these products and investments are accruing disproportionately to red cities and states Is this true at the city level? > Sinking together isn't a great pitch. Surely it's a worse pitch to suggest that companies can ignore laws they don't like, and operate above the law? | | |
| ▲ | JumpCrisscross 17 hours ago | parent [-] | | > it's a worse pitch to suggest that companies can ignore laws they don't like, and operate above the law? It’s also worse to murder kittens. That isn’t the choice at hand. The difference is between states adapting with a regulatory framework and those sticking with economic incumbents. (Also, when the taxi medallion industry was at its peak, lenders did run roughshod over the law.) | | |
| ▲ | runako 17 hours ago | parent [-] | | In context, your comment reads as a defense of companies ignoring laws: >> that big companies are (sometimes) bound by the same laws that bind the rest of us > Not if they’re stupid laws! States won't adapt to new technologies at the same time, this is embedded in the design of federalism. | | |
| ▲ | JumpCrisscross 12 hours ago | parent [-] | | > States won't adapt to new technologies at the same time, this is embedded in the design of federalism …how are you missing this. I’m saying the states failing to adapt need to do so or have their governments replaced. That all of these states are also facing multi-party insurgencies doesn’t strike me as a coïncidence. Pretending the corruption in e.g. New York around this is fine is just such a weird take. | | |
| ▲ | lokar 28 minutes ago | parent [-] | | The desire to slow down and consider the fate of cab drivers (very hard working, low income people) is not automatically corruption. |
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| ▲ | Zambyte 17 hours ago | parent | prev [-] | | Getting around Boston is very easy. Flooding the streets with more cars won't make it easier. A government that listens to the people it governs is a good government. | | |
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| ▲ | superfrank 9 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
| Seattle was announced as a Waymo upcoming city nearly 2 months before Houston, gets a foot less of rain than Houston each year, and usually has only 2 or 3 snow days a year. That's at least one counter example to your theory. |
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| ▲ | warkdarrior 20 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-] |
| They tried to roll out in New York City, but the city did not approve. https://www.twu.org/twu-tech-newsletter-waymo-no-mo-in-nyc-f... |
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| ▲ | senkora 19 hours ago | parent | next [-] | | I personally saw a Waymo in NYC on June 26th at 14th St and 8th Avenue, so they’ve done some recent testing at least. | |
| ▲ | cyberax 19 hours ago | parent | prev [-] | | NYC's government is focused on maximizing the pain and inconvenience for its citizens. So this tracks. | | |
| ▲ | runako 18 hours ago | parent [-] | | State law requires a human driver to operate vehicles at all times. This is not coming from NYC. |
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| ▲ | WarmWash 19 hours ago | parent | prev [-] |
| NYC has Mamdani, who is a very progressive populist mayor, and a longtime (active) supporter of the taxi drivers union. There is close to zero chance it gets approval in NYC before 2030. I'd be totally floored if he goes against the union, but the optics are absolutely terrible for cabs. |
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| ▲ | overfeed 19 hours ago | parent [-] | | Waymo can't launch anywhere in NY state due to state law, but by all means, trot out your favorite whipping boy. |
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