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Comment by uejfiweun | Hacker News Reader

It's funny how Google is essentially trying to compete with the software side of Tesla only - Waymos (which AFAIK they plan to partner with major automakers), now this, etc.

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That makes it sound like Waymo is copying Tesla when in fact Waymo has been in the works before Tesla even considered self driving.

Another way to look at it is that they're avoiding some of the expensive parts of making products that use AI, while leaning into their strengths. No Tesla required within the explanation.

Seems smart. There are dozens of companies that make low-margin cars. There's only one company that has managed to make a working autonomous software driver.

Tesla is the only company to have high-margin mass-market EVs.

True, but their margins only exist because of protectionist US laws (i.e. 100% tariff on Chinese competitors).

What does that have to do with margins?

Not many people would pay $62K for a Tesla Model Y if they could get a BYD Sealion for $37K.

Do you know what 'margins' means?

And even in markets where BYD Sealion is sold - including China - Tesla Model Y outsells it!

Margins means exactly what the poster you are replying to implies: that in the US Tesla has high margins (the difference between cost of good sold and what you get for them) because tarrifs make Chinese brands uncompetitive.

And as Tesla's latest financials showed they are under margin pressure too, even with that: https://finance.yahoo.com/markets/stocks/articles/tesla-tsla...

> in markets where BYD Sealion is sold - including China - Tesla Model Y outsells it!

Sure, but that's because BYD (for example) has both the Atto 3 and the Sealion which overlap in market segment.

Bizarre oversimplification.

For both manipulation and autonomous driving, google has invested in approaches with custom hardware, and off-the-shelf hardware, and a blend (which is what waymo is).

Bizarre! Love it :)

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