Waymo Stopped, Tesla Kept Going... Aftermath of San Francisco Blackout Shock

Waymo Robotaxis Cause Traffic Disruption

Influencer Mario Napal posted a video from Google Waymo on his X (formerly Twitter) account. Waymo caused traffic congestion by not starting due to traffic signal failures caused by the San Francisco blackout that lasted until the 21st (local time).

"Waymo froze, while Tesla kept moving."

During the massive blackout in San Francisco, Google’s robotaxi service Waymo came to a halt en masse, partially paralyzing downtown traffic. In contrast, Tesla, a rival in autonomous driving, continued to operate normally, leading to sharply divided public opinion in the United States.

According to ABC News and business media outlet CNBC on the 21st (local time), numerous accounts about Waymo were posted on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) that day. In the shared videos, Waymo vehicles were seen stopped at intersections with traffic lights out, obstructing the flow of traffic.

Users on X shared personal experiences, saying, "When the traffic lights stopped working due to the blackout, Waymo vehicles didn’t move, causing confusion." Influencer Mario Napal praised, "Waymo bet on maps and order, while Tesla bet on chaos. That choice proved to be right." Another user expressed concern, asking, "What happens if robotaxis stop during natural disasters like earthquakes?"

Waymo issued an emergency notice via its app, announcing that its fully autonomous robotaxi city service-operating without a human driver-had been temporarily suspended. The timing for resuming service has not yet been announced.

Meanwhile, Tesla, equipped with its supervised Full Self-Driving (FSD) software, continued to drive even during the blackout. Tesla CEO Elon Musk also reposted Napal’s post on X that morning, stating, "Tesla robotaxis were not affected by the San Francisco blackout."

The large-scale blackout, which began at around 1:09 p.m. the previous day and lasted for two days, was confirmed to have been caused by a substation fire. Local media reported that the blackout peaked about two hours after it began. The outage affected a total of 130,000 households and businesses, accounting for 30% of the entire city. However, CNBC reported that there were no injuries resulting from the blackout.

By the second day, the situation was reportedly being resolved. Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E), the regional electricity supplier, announced that the number of customers affected by the outage had decreased from about 130,000 the previous day to 20,000. San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie also stated on X that he would continue to press PG&E for a firm timeline for full power restoration.