Who Watches the Waymos? I do [video]

Video aesthetics and mood

• Many viewers found the piece beautiful, soothing, and well-edited, especially the day–night transitions and moonrise.
• Some were surprised it wasn’t mostly drone footage and commented on the risky vantage points used.
• The music (“Alonia” by Valante) was widely praised as calming and atmospheric.

Sci‑fi vibes and public art

• Strong comparisons to Blade Runner, Baraka/Samsara, and cyberpunk games (e.g., Syndicate Wars, Satellite Reign).
• The large illuminated human sculpture at the depot drew attention; several noted it’s a known art piece and likened it to futuristic or post-apocalyptic imagery.
• Some felt such Burning Man–style art in tech spaces can read as status signaling, while others were simply glad to see human figures in the urban landscape.

Scale of automation and emotional reactions

• Seeing hundreds of Waymos together struck some as eerie or depressing, emphasizing the scale of human job replacement.
• Others argued this is normal technological progress, akin to automated ports, and ultimately positive.
• One thread imagined dystopian futures (e.g., UBI with coercive controls), while another envisioned a “post-need” society where automation grants freedom, not enforced idleness.

Urbanism, externalities, and land use

• Debate over whether self‑driving significantly improves the externality balance of cars: critics listed pollution, noise, congestion, sprawl, and sedentary lifestyles as largely unchanged.
• Supporters emphasized potential safety gains and efficiency but conceded the bigger urban picture is unclear; one noted the depot lot itself could house thousands of people.

Economics, pricing, and business model

• Multiple comments noted Waymo rides are often more expensive than Uber/Lyft; skeptics questioned the point if costs aren’t lower.
• Fans cited reliability, predictability, and avoiding awkward human interactions as justifying a premium, and some see current pricing as a “novelty” phase.

Safety, timelines, and insurance

• Strong disagreement about how quickly manual driving might disappear, with estimates ranging from ~10 years to 25–50+ years, and reminders that current deployments are tightly constrained.
• One side claimed major accident reductions; others cautioned that limited operational domains and correlated software failures complicate safety comparisons.
• Discussion on whether insurers would lobby to restrict manual driving: some argued fewer crashes reduce payouts and risk; others noted reduced premiums may cut absolute profit, but insurers already lobby for many safety measures.

Operational details and comparisons

• Observers noted human workers in high-visibility gear cleaning and plugging in vehicles; it’s unclear whether cars park themselves or are manually positioned.
• Analogies were drawn to robotic container ports and to a massive model railway system where vehicles autonomously route and recharge.
• Separate comments criticized other AV players (e.g., Zoox) as “terrifying” to encounter, though no concrete examples were provided.

Waymo vs. Tesla and industry posture

• Several contrasted Waymo’s cautious, multi-sensor, regulator-friendly approach with Tesla’s vision-only strategy and missed autonomy promises.
• Some framed Waymo as already delivering what other firms have only hyped, while others questioned long-term economics and overall societal value.

Community norms and side discussions

• A moderator-type comment pushed back against dismissive criticism, reinforcing HN’s preference for substantive feedback; this was positively received.
• Tangents included photography techniques (e.g., line-scan images), import/tariff mechanics for Zeekr-based vehicles, and the broader scale of investment visible in the depot footage.