Waymo is currently the robotaxi leader in the United States, and that status has put the company’s vehicles in the crosshairs of vandals multiple times over the last year — most recently this past weekend in Los Angeles. On the sidelines of TechCrunch Disrupt 2025, co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana said vandalism against Waymo’s robotaxis is “not okay.”
“Obviously, vandalism is a crime, so we’re very focused on working with law enforcement to make sure that we pursue the people 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 okay, and so, damaging property? We’re not standing for it.”
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 — especially those enabling surveillance — has resulted in multiple Waymo vehicles being damaged and burned by vandals.
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 “overly broad and unlawful.”
When asked backstage what Waymo is doing to change the perception of its vehicles, Mawakana pointed to the company’s push to put local artists’ designs on some cars as part of a broader effort to “make the fleet more a part of the community.” But while Waymo often pushes back on surveillance requests, she said the company has to “continue to work with first responders to help us address this challenge” of vandalism.
“They don’t want it in their cities. It doesn’t keep people safe. We don’t want it,” she said.
