Waymo CEO Takes Aim At Tesla's Camera-Only Approach: 'You Have To Be Able To Have This Vision That's Better Than Humans'

Alphabet Inc.'s (NASDAQ:GOOGL) (NASDAQ:GOOG) autonomous driving service Waymo's CEO, Tekedra Mawakana, has shared her thoughts on the LiDAR vs Camera-based system debate for autonomous driving.

What Happened: "Asking people to put their children, their families in a Waymo vehicle without a human behind the wheel is a brand new product category," she said in an interview with CNBC on Thursday.

She then said that therefore Waymo has no reason to eliminate aspects that make the experience safer for the passenger. She also outlined that Waymo's focus lies on safety and then cost, rather than it being the other way round.

When asked whether she thinks Tesla Inc.'s (NASDAQ:TSLA) camera-based approach is less safe, she said, "You have to be able to see at night. You have to be able to have this vision that’s better than humans," She said, touting LiDAR’s better capabilities in low-light conditions.

Mawakana also said that Waymo has taken a "belt and suspenders" approach where the company asks passengers to "relax and unwind" in the backseat and not take over the wheel during a critical moment.

The CEO also said that Waymo wanted competitors to enter the space with safety as their priority. "We have a healthy worry about who the company is," she said because there can "always be an overreaction from the public."

Why It Matters: The news comes in as Waymo recently announced the company reached the ten million paid autonomous rides milestone, doubling the number from five million in five months.

However, the company still isn't the global leader in terms of autonomous driving as Chinese tech giant Baidu Inc.'s (NASDAQ:BIDU) Apollo Go completed 11 million paid trips, the company shared at its Q1 Earnings call.

Elsewhere, Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said that the company's Robotaxi launch in Austin is set for a late June debut with over 10 cars in the first week, which could be ramped up to 1,000 in a couple of months.

Price Action: GOOGL declined 1.47% in Pre-Market trading, valued at $168.36, according to Benzinga Pro data.

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