Uber’s autonomous vehicle program has been in crisis mode long before the fatal accident last week in Tempe, Ariz. That’s according to an investigation by the New York Times.
And Daisuke Wakabayashi, the reporter who broke this story, says the company’s technology lags far behind its prime competitor, Alphabet unit Waymo.
“Waymo started in 2009 and they have been testing ever since,” Wakabayashi told Cheddar Monday. “Uber didn’t really start until about 2016...They’re years behind. They’re racing to catch up.”
After looking through hundreds of Uber’s internal documents, the Times found that, as of March this year, its self-driving cars could go just 13 miles before requiring human intervention.
Waymo cars meanwhile could clock nearly 5,600 miles without a person having to jump in to take control.
Uber’s vehicles also had trouble navigating construction zones and driving next to tall vehicles.
And it’s not just a matter of being behind -- Wakabayashi says Uber’s driverless car project is central to the company’s future.
“Executives will tell you it’s existential,” he said. “If you think about what percentage of their operating costs go to the drivers, it’s a substantial amount. If you can lower that cost by making it autonomous, then Uber goes from being the company that lost the most amount of money as a private company to becoming incredibly profitable.”
Last week, one of Uber’s self-driving cars struck and killed a pedestrian in Arizona in the first known fatality involving an autonomous vehicle.
Local police and the National Transportation Safety Board are currently investigating the incident. Initially, Tempe police said Uber may not have been at fault in this case because the pedestrian suddenly came out of the shadows.
But Wakabayashi said authorities are walking that back a bit. He points out that local authorities are now putting out more cautious statements.
“Anyone who knows anything about autonomous vehicles will tell you that the car should have detected the woman crossing the road,” he said.
“Autonomous vehicles and all the sensors that are on them are supposed to detect things like that.”
For the full interview, [click here](Last Sunday, one of Uber's self-driving cars struck and killed a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona. The police said Uber was likely not at fault because the accident would have been hard to avoid, even for a human driver. However, reports have surfaced that uber's driverless technology was faltering well before the crash. Daisuke Wakabayashi, Reporter at the New York Times, breaks down the root of Uber's self-driving problems.
For the full interview, [click here](Last Sunday, one of Uber's self-driving cars struck and killed a pedestrian in Tempe, Arizona. The police said Uber was likely not at fault because the accident would have been hard to avoid, even for a human driver. However, reports have surfaced that uber's driverless technology was faltering well before the crash. Daisuke Wakabayashi, Reporter at the New York Times, breaks down the root of Uber's self-driving problems.
For the full interview, [clicl here](https://cheddar.com/videos/ubers-self-driving-headache-showed-symptoms-before-the-deadly-crash-says-nyt).
Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at S&P Global, breaks down September’s CPI print and inflation trends, explaining what it means for markets.
A big-screen adaptation of the anime “Chainsaw Man” has topped the North American box office, beating a Springsteen biopic and “Black Phone 2.” The movie earned $17.25 million in the U.S. and Canada this weekend. “Black Phone 2” fell to second place with $13 million. Two new releases, the rom-com “Regretting You” and “Springsteen — Deliver Me From Nowhere,” earned $12.85 million and $9.1 million, respectively. “Chainsaw Man – The Movie: Reze Arc” is based on the manga series about a demon hunter. It's another win for Sony-owned Crunchyroll, which also released a “Demon Slayer” film last month that debuted to a record $70 million.
The Federal Aviation Administration says flights departing for Los Angeles International Airport were halted briefly due to a staffing shortage at a Southern California air traffic facility. The FAA issued a temporary ground stop at one of the world’s busiest airports on Sunday morning soon after U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy predicted that travelers would see more flights delayed as the nation’s air traffic controllers work without pay during the federal government shutdown. The hold on planes taking off for LAX lasted an hour and 45 minutes and didn't appear to cause continued problems. The FAA said staffing shortages also delayed planes headed to Washington, Chicago and Newark, New Jersey on Sunday.
Boeing workers at three Midwest plants where military aircraft and weapons are developed have voted to reject the company’s latest contract offer and to continue a strike that started almost three months ago. The strike by about 3,200 machinists at the plants in the Missouri cities of St. Louis and St. Charles, and in Mascoutah, Illinois, is smaller in scale than a walkout last year by 33,000 Boeing workers who assemble commercial jetliners. The president of the International Association of Machinists says Sunday's outcome shows Boeing hasn't adequately addressed wages and retirement benefits. Boeing says Sunday's vote was close with 51% of union members opposing the revised offer.
The stunning indictment that led to the arrest of more than 30 people — including Miami Heat guard Terry Rozier and other NBA figures — has drawn new scrutiny of the booming business of sports betting in the U.S. The multibillion-dollar industry has made it easy for sports fans — and even some players — to wager on everything from the outcome of games to that of a single play with just a few taps of a cellphone. But regulating the rapidly-growing industry has proven to be a challenge. Professional sports leagues’ own role in promoting gambling has also raised eyebrows.
Tesla, the car company run by Elon Musk, reported Wednesday that it sold more vehicles in the past three months after boycotts hit hard earlier this year, but profits still fell sharply. Third-quarter earnings fell to $1.4 billion, from $2.2 billion a year earlier. Excluding charges, per share profit of 50 cents came in below analysts' estimate. Tesla shares fell 3.5% in after-hours trading. Musk said the company's robotaxi service, which is available in Austin, Texas, and San Francisco, will roll out to as many as 10 other metro areas by the end of the year.
