Comment by dcrazy
2 days ago
I’m not convinced enshittification of the Waymo experience is inevitable. It’s possible there’s a price point at which they can produce a profit while remaining a premium experience. Uber chose to expand into the mass market, which every lay person already knew was not full of producer surplus. Taxis weren’t famous for shitty service and bad employment practices because they were a monopoly, they were famous for it because it’s a cutthroat, low-margin business.
It seems like Google will tolerate small money pits, but not ones that are scaling up. I'd bet Waymo is at or approaching breakeven. If they stop expanding coverage, then I'd worry about the lines diverging.
Google also still has the scars from buying Motorola and acquiring a huge number of employees. They aren't going to bloat their headcount expanding Waymo.