Waymo, Big Tech and Democracy

Mayor Frey vetoed an ordinance aimed at protecting immigrant ride-hailing drivers. The Governor's Advisory Council recommends enshrining autonomous vehicles in state law without worker protections, accessibility requirements, or local regulation. And yet, Big Tech and AI seem to be facing a popular revolt. So why are some MN Democrats so eager to roll out the red carpet? In the first half, we talk through the local logistics and pros and cons of autonomous vehicles. Skip to the second half (at about 71 minutes) for an extended analysis of the politics around Big Tech, and a debate between trying to extract local benefits vs outright municipal obstruction

Recorded 10/21/26.

Alert

Though the massive ICE activity dwindled in the Spring, we still face a determined wannabe-fascist regime. Mill City Hall asks you to plug in and take action:

• Donate to rent support and mutual aid funds
• Defend 612 is an entry-point to local neighborhood organizing
• Monarca continues to provide trainings for regular folks who want to help, and offers a hotline to report ICE activity: 612-441-2881

Don't forget to check out:

• Cam contributing to the Hennepin Herald
• Our Instagram account for clips that are easy to browse and share
• Ask Robin to do a portrait of your favorite tree

Minneapolis Autonomous Vehicles Ordinance

Perhaps just the first AV ordinance, we'll see.

• Official LIMS file
• Timeline:
  • 6/11 notice given
  • 9/29 approved Cmte of the Whole
  • 10/1 adopted 7-6
    • NAY: Rainville, Vetaw, Warren, Shaffer, Whiting, Palmisano
  • 10/2 vetoed
  • 10/15 veto sustained 7-5-1 (Warren absent)

Media Coverage

• MPR 9/9/26: Minneapolis to consider requiring drivers in automated cars
  • “Unless the City takes immediate action, thousands of rideshare drivers and their families could begin to lose income to big tech companies and their commercial AVs, which unlike rideshare companies are not currently regulated by the City,” the statement read.
• Strib 9/8/26: Minneapolis may require driverless vehicles to have someone in the driver’s seat
  • Bus drivers are also concerned they could be replaced by autonomous vehicles some day.
  • David Stiggers, president of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 1005, which represents over 2,700 bus operators and mechanics in Minneapolis, said in June that it’s only a matter of time before autonomous vehicles includes autonomous commercial vehicles like buses.
• Fox9 10/1/26: Minneapolis approves safety monitors, Frey plans veto
  • "No other city in the U.S. requires this, and the authors [of the ordinance] have refused to wait to move this forward until we receive a full research report," said council member Elizabeth Shaffer prior to the vote. "We live in a free market society. Our residents, including those in the disability community, want the ability to choose… I disagree that we are doing any meaningful action here… I think this is part of why other municipalities often look at Minneapolis with concern: When we jump out ahead of research and create policy that is affecting other jurisdictions, people wonder what we are doing."
• NorthStar Policy Action 10/6/26: Minnesota’s Rideshare Workforce: What It Contributes and What’s at Stake
  • According to DLI’s 2024 study, 61% of the state’s rideshare drivers are immigrants. In addition, 71% percent are people of color, including 60% who identify as Black or African American.
  • Rideshare workers
    • Earn an estimated $209 million in wages
    • Spend $211 million on expenses to support their job
    • Foster $561 million in total economic activity across the state
    • Sustain 2,500 jobs beyond the approximately 12,000 Minnesotans who work as rideshare drivers
    • Generate approximately $116 million in tax revenue
      • Of this total, $43 million flows to Minnesota state and local governments, funding schools, roads, and public services.
      • Because rideshare drivers are classified as independent contractors rather than employees, they do not pay taxes into the systems that fund several state programs, including unemployment insurance, paid family and medical leave, and workforce development.
  • If AV fleets replace human drivers, many of the dollars that currently circulate through Minnesota communities would instead become returns to shareholders at the technology companies that own the AVs. In plain terms, money that today supports working families and local businesses in Minnesota would be extracted and sent to Silicon Valley.
  • The question facing Minnesota’s policymakers is whether they want to allow a technology owned by a handful of out-of-state corporations to quietly extract hundreds of millions of dollars a year from the state’s working communities, or to act to protect the livelihoods and the local economic activity that this workforce sustains.
• MSR 10/8/26: Minneapolis council members push ordinance to regulate robotaxis, protect driver jobs
  • Adam Lane, Waymo’s state and local public policy manager, said in a statement that the proposed ordinance amounts to “a de facto ban on autonomous vehicles.” He said nearly 500 Minnesotans died in crashes in 2024, and pointed to persistent safety concerns among women and people with disabilities, saying current transportation options aren’t enough. Lane said Minnesota chapters of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, the Epilepsy Foundation, the National Federation of the Blind, the American Council for the Blind, the Blinded Veterans Association and other groups support bringing Waymo to Minneapolis to address those gaps, and said the company remains committed to working with city officials on a path forward.
    • The spokesperson pointed to a settlement the Minnesota Department of Human Rights reached with Lyft earlier this year over discrimination against a blind rider who travels with a service dog,
• SW Voices 10/14/26: Autonomous vehicle regulations ordinance derailed
  • The chapter president of The National Federation of the Blind of Minnesota spoke at a public hearing on Sept. 22 about the autonomous vehicle ordinance, where she opposed the proposal and shared that many in the disability community favor the use of autonomous vehicles as an alternative to taxi and rideshare options.
  • “Many of us have experienced riding in automated vehicles in other cities, and, for us, the benefits they offer are more than theoretical,” Jennifer Dunnam said. “Not only can these vehicles expand our transportation options in general, but they can help mitigate the all-too-common occurrence of human rideshare drivers refusing rides to people using guide dogs.”
  • “We understand the concern about jobs, especially in light of the difficult and deeply consequential challenges that immigrants in Minneapolis have faced in recent times,” Dunnam said. “However, using a blanket prohibition to protect existing jobs is not a sustainable way to respond to technological change and does not factor in the needs of all who do not drive.”
  • “This feels more like saving a particular job rather than an autonomous vehicle regulation for our whole city,” Palmisano said. “I don’t see it as local government’s place to safeguard a job. However, I do see it as a place to talk about the regulations of how a new business type operates in our city.”
  • Ward 7 Council Member Elizabeth Shaffer is hosting a community meeting at Loring Park on Oct. 22, where people can see a Waymo vehicle, similar to the ones that have been driving around Minneapolis. People can also meet with representatives from Waymo company and ask questions.
• MN Reformer 10/15/25: Minneapolis will not require human drivers in robotaxis after council fails to override veto
  • “To our residents, I want you to know we see you, and that there’s members of this body that’s continuously fighting for you,” Wonsley said. “We cannot simply allow Big Tech to come into our communities and steal thousands of jobs from immigrant workers.”
  • Wonsley pointed to a recent study by the union-backed think tank North Star Policy Action that estimates rideshare drivers in Minnesota earn about $209 million a year and contribute $561 million in total economic activity across the state through spending on housing, health care, car repairs and other necessities.
    • That income represent a minuscule portion — just 0.04% — of Minnesota’s $476 billion in total personal income.

Statewide: Governor's Advisory Council on AVs

Governor's Advisory Council produced a Policy Recommendations PDF:

• This is 6 years in the making
• It was understood that if Minnesota does not develop a path for fully automated vehicle (AV) operations that the people of Minnesota would miss out on the potential benefits automated vehicles provide, namely enhanced safety of all roadway users, greater accessibility and mobility of people and goods, especially for those who are unable to drive themselves, and economic growth
• Minneapolis Rep:
  • Dillon Fried from the City of Minneapolis stated that it is important that any state legislation doesn’t preclude additional data reporting requirements established by local ordinances for different types of business operating models
• Dissent from Labor:
  • Deployment: "Hannah Alstead of the Teamsters Joint Council 32 expressed that AVs should not operate without a human behind the wheel and stated concerns that the recommendation is tailored towards business interests."
  • Safety: "Hannah Alstead of the Teamsters Joint Council 32 stated that it is a problem if the state does not have its own regulations on safety and technology with the absence of federal regulation."
  • Driver: "Hannah Alstead of the Teamsters Joint Council 32 said there must be a human operator available in any automated vehicle"
  • Hannah Alstead of the Teamsters Joint Council 32 stated that workforce implications are an extremely important piece of any new industry coming to our state and that companies should have to share all impact data to the Department of Labor and Industry or the Department of Employment and Economic Development
• Wants federal regs but there are none, so "self certification"
• System Is The Driver: Clarify that when an automated driving system is engaged, the system is considered the driver for the purpose of assessing compliance with applicable traffic or motor vehicle laws and shall be deemed to satisfy electronically all physical acts required by a driver or operator of the vehicle, and system is considered to be licensed to operate the vehicle
  • But also a person can drive it, if controls exist and licensed
  • But also a teleoperator can drive it, if licensed
• Do not include any accessibility requirements in AV legislation
  • and the state should continue to invest in, advance, and explore accessible AV transportation options
  • State agencies do not have the power to dictate original equipment manufacturers
  • AV providers have competing goals, for example many providers prioritize electric vehicles, while there are not accessible electric vehicles yet on the market due to where the battery is located and an individual using a wheelchair would need to sit and be fastened.
  • Dillon Fried of the City of Minneapolis noted that through permitting and/or local ordinances, commercial passenger services should be incentivized to provide accessible options
• Workforce implications
  • Include legislatively mandated research to study the potential workforce impacts the advancement of fully automated vehicles would have in Minnesota.
  • No states have included workforce implications in AV legislation
• Local governance
  • Do not allow any political subdivision, municipality, or local entity to prohibit the operation of fully automated vehicles or automated driving systems, or otherwise enact rules or ordinances that would impose taxes, fees, or other requirements (including performance standards), specific to the operation of fully automated vehicles, or automated driving system
  • Therefore, local governments should still have authority over curb management, parking, and any other ways they regulate vehicles currently.
  • It is the norm for other states to take this approach and the AV industry has expressed they would be hesitant to operate in a state that allows for local governments to impose requirements or restrictions
  • Dillon Fried of the City of Minneapolis said state legislation should govern AVs as a category of vehicle. Commercial vehicle services should continue to be subject to local ordinances as they are for standard types of vehicles.

Media Coverage (state level)

• MPR 10/23/25: goMARTI On-demand transportation service links Grand Rapids to rural and tribal communities
• MPR 12/10/25: MN Legislature has no regulation for AVs
  • That’s partly because it’s a legal gray area. Minnesota law assumes that there’s a driver in the car — someone who can take responsibility for a crash. There aren’t specific regulations for autonomous vehicles.
  • “The No. 1 thing to me as we discuss automated vehicles is that they are safe for folks that are using them, but as well for pedestrians and for bikes and other folks,” Tabke said.
  • “We can’t simply roll out the red carpet for a large corporation that wants to make gigantic profits and just close our eyes to the fact that people are making their livelihoods in a particular way,” Dibble said.
  • Tammy Meehan Russell is president of The PLUM Catalyst, a company behind goMARTI, an automated vehicle service in Grand Rapids. Like Waymo’s testing in Minneapolis, goMARTI’s self-driving vehicles still have a person in the driver’s seat.

National Media Coverage

OK I read a lot of Ars Technica, sorry :)

• New Yorker 10/12/26: We're Learning To Live With Waymos. It's Going Weird (mentioned by Robin)
• Electrek 8/13/26: Tesla defeats Sweden’s IF Metall union after 1,021-day strike (mentioned by Jesse)
• Ars Technica 9/1/23: Are self-driving cars already safer than human drivers?
  • These were overwhelmingly low-speed collisions that did not pose a serious safety risk. A large majority appeared to be the fault of the other driver. This was particularly true for Waymo, whose biggest driving errors included side-swiping an abandoned shopping cart and clipping a parked car’s bumper while pulling over to the curb.
  • One of Waymo’s biggest challenges during its first million miles was avoiding inanimate objects. Waymo vehicles bumped into a construction pylon, a parking lot barrier arm, and a shopping cart—all at speeds of between 8 and 13 miles per hour.
• Ars Technica 2/27/25: What we know about Waymo’s 2025 expansion plans
  • Despite these expansion plans, many people remain hesitant to embrace autonomous technology. A Pew Research Center study from 2022 found that 45 percent of Americans would not feel comfortable sharing the road with driverless vehicles.
  • The data tells a different story, though. In collaboration with Swiss insurance company Swiss Re, Waymo conducted a study analyzing 25.3 million miles driven by its autonomous vehicles. The findings revealed an 88 percent reduction in property damage claims and a 92 percent reduction in bodily injury claims compared to human-driven vehicles for the same distance traveled.
  • GM announced in December 2024 that the company was shutting down Cruise, its autonomous ridesharing service. After nearly a decade of development costing over $10 billion, GM acknowledged the challenges of scaling this type of business.
• Ars Technica 3/27/25: After 50 million miles, Waymos crash a lot less than human drivers
  • The first ever fatal crash involving a fully driverless vehicle occurred in San Francisco on January 19. The driverless vehicle belonged to Waymo, but the crash was not Waymo’s fault.
• Ars Technica 4/25/25: “We’re in a race with China”—DOT eases autonomous car rules
  • “This administration understands that we’re in a race with China to out-innovate, and the stakes couldn’t be higher,” said US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy in a statement. “As part of DOT’s innovation agenda, our new framework will slash red tape and move us closer to a single national standard that spurs innovation and prioritizes safety,” Duffy said.
  • Hopefully there are still enough experts left at NHTSA to handle the paperwork. Earlier this month, dozens of people directly responsible for regulating autonomous vehicle safety were dismissed at the order of Elon Musk, who counts being CEO of Tesla—which is subject to numerous NHTSA safety investigations, many involving partially automated driving—among his many day jobs.
• Ars Technica 6/3/26: Data shows Waymo’s robotaxis are empty for almost half of the miles they drive
  • data from Waymo’s reports to the California Public Utilities Commission shows that, at least in that regard, robotaxis are no better than ride-hailing services like Lyft and Uber.
  • Initially, only 36 percent of Waymo’s miles were driven with a passenger onboard. But by the end of the study period, that had increased to around 56 percent and then plateaued, Abdelhalim found. So about 44 percent of Waymo’s driven miles are conducted with empty EVs
  • [another study] 44 percent of Waymo’s miles were driven with empty vehicles and that two-thirds of those empty miles were robotaxis driving around waiting to be assigned a customer.
  • Interestingly, similar arguments about reducing traffic were once made about ride-hailing. In 2014, other researchers at MIT published a study claiming that ride-hailing could reduce car ownership and cut traffic. Two of the authors later walked back their conclusions after evidence showed that ride-hailing actually increased traffic and CO2 emissions, partly because it was cheap enough to encourage trips people otherwise wouldn’t have taken.
    • A 2018 study found that almost half of the increase in vehicle miles traveled in San Francisco was attributable to ride-hailing services
    • In total, about 40 percent of the miles traveled by a Lyft or Uber driver are deadhead miles, suggesting there’s little difference in congestion whether there’s a human behind the wheel or not.
  • Transit vs Waymo funding
    • Waymo might have raised $16 billion earlier this year for its robotaxis
    • and at least $100 billion has been invested in the sector since the 2010s.
    • American Public Transport Association called for $268 billion in investment over five years
    • a report by Transportation For America puts the price tag for a “world class” transit system at $4.6 trillion over the next 20 years.