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Waymo is currently the robotaxi leader in the U.S., and that status has seen the company’s vehicles vandalized multiple times in the past year — most recently this Last weekend in Los Angeles. On the sidelines of TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said Waymo’s crackdown on robotics is “not right.”
“Obviously, vandalism is a crime, so we’re very focused on working with law enforcement to make sure we go after those 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 right, and so, property damage? We don’t stand for that.”
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 widespread public resistance to technology companies — especially those that enable surveillance — has resulted in multiple Waymo vehicles being damaged and burned by vandals.
During an interview on the main stage on Monday, Mwakana reiterated his earlier comments that Wemo rejects government requests for footage of Wemo vehicles if those requests are “overbroad and unlawful.”
When asked backstage what Waymo is doing to change its concept of cars, Mawakana pointed to the company Push to put designs by local artists on some cars As part of a larger effort to “make the fleet more a part of the community.” But while Waymo often backs down on surveillance requests, he said the company “must continue to work with first responders to help us meet this challenge.”
“They don’t want it in their town. It doesn’t keep people safe. We don’t want it,” he said.
