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Silicon Valley and the tech industry are known for their “move fast and break things” mantra. This has been how the software industry has operated forever basically. In fact, the modus operandi has probably accelerated in recent years. Breaking things almost seems like the goal sometimes.
Well, Waymo was spawned in Silicon Valley, but it has taken a much different approach over the last two decades. It has taken a super cautious, slow, safety-first approach. It is now logging millions of miles of completely self-driven robotaxi trips, but the company is still cautiously expanding. With its experience, the company is also now emphasizing that other physical AI companies be cautious with how they develop.
Waymo co-CEO Dmitri Dolgov has warned companies against taking a “move fast and break things” approach to this. Instead, Dolgov, in a Y Combinator interview that came out this week, suggested that companies working in the physical AI industry “move fast and ship safely.”
