I have no problems with self-driving in principle.
Would you rather have software written by Chevrolet than Tech Companies?
Yes, I work in tech, but I generally prefer tech that gives people power, not take it away.
"Tech" isn't that generic. There's no reason to believe that a company that makes a search engine will do any better at self driving. I mean they bought Waymo after they were already promising.
Companies like salesforce, Uber, Airbnb are more marketing or market making apps. Eventually they do apply some more sophisticated software to scale their products, but their core business is not technical in nature. Even Facebook started out as an electronic blend of the school facebook (paperback) and hotornot.
I’m not in SV tech so perhaps my perception is wrong? But googles core competency was search algorithms, though their business is ads of course. So more of a tech company.
This speaks more to the news than to Waymo. If you want more viewpoints, look for cyclists speaking of their preference for encountering waymos instead of human drivers; look to reddit for videos of waymos avoiding red-light runners and balls and pedestrians in dangerous places.
Then again this very article was not about things going "horribly wrong" but about the growth in ridership: Waymo is in production mode and ramping up BECAUSE it's working well.
High speed red light runners, in the meantime, are highly present in San Francisco these days. Now THAT's dangerous. Not to mention (less frequent) people deliberately pointing their "two-ton" vehicles at pedestrians. I don't see Waymo doing that.