\n<\/p>\n
Waymo is currently the robotaxi leader in the United States, and that status has put the company\u2019s vehicles in the crosshairs of vandals multiple times over the last year \u2014 most recently this past weekend in Los Angeles<\/a>. On the sidelines of TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said vandalism against Waymo\u2019s robotaxis is \u201cnot okay.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cObviously, vandalism is a crime, so we\u2019re very focused on working with law enforcement to make sure that we pursue the people who are committing these crimes against our fleet,\u201d Mawakana told TechCrunch. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter whose fleet it is. It\u2019s not acceptable, it\u2019s not okay, and so, damaging property? We\u2019re not standing for it.\u201d<\/p>\n Concerns about privacy and surveillance have become a major issue in protests during the second Trump administration, especially as the government ramps up its deportation efforts. At the same time, a broader public resistance to tech companies \u2014 especially those enabling surveillance \u2014 has resulted in multiple Waymo vehicles being damaged and burned by vandals.<\/p>\n During an interview on the main stage Monday, Mawkana reiterated her previous comments that Waymo refuses government requests for the footage Waymo vehicles capture if those requests are \u201coverly broad and unlawful.\u201d<\/p>\n When asked backstage what Waymo is doing to change the perception of its vehicles, Mawakana pointed to the company\u2019s push to put local artists\u2019 designs on some cars<\/a> as part of a broader effort to \u201cmake the fleet more a part of the community.\u201d But while Waymo often pushes back on surveillance requests, she said the company has to \u201ccontinue to work with first responders to help us address this challenge\u201d of vandalism.<\/p>\n \u201cThey don\u2019t want it in their cities. It doesn\u2019t keep people safe. We don\u2019t want it,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n