Waymo—Waymo robotaxis blocked emergency vehicles during San Francisco power outage, refused to disclose fleet details
During a December 20, 2025 power outage in San Francisco, Waymo robotaxis stalled across the city, blocking intersections and emergency vehicles. Mayor Daniel Lurie texted Waymo's CEO reporting a car blocking a fire truck from reaching an active fire. In subsequent regulatory proceedings, a judge scolded Waymo after the company refused to disclose how many robotaxis had stalled, claiming the information was a trade secret.
Scoring Impact
| Topic | Direction | Relevance | Contribution |
|---|---|---|---|
| Consumer Protection | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Corporate Transparency | -against | secondary | -0.50 |
| Infrastructure Accountability | -against | primary | -1.00 |
| Overall incident score = | -0.403 | ||
Score = avg(topic contributions) × significance (high ×1.5) × confidence (0.64)× agency (negligent ×0.5)
Evidence (2 signals)
Judge scolded Waymo for refusing to disclose how many robotaxis stalled during SF power outage, citing trade secrets
During an administrative rules proceeding, Senior Administrative Law Judge Robert Mason scolded Waymo after the company refused to disclose how many of its robotaxis had stalled during the December power outage. Waymo attorney Jack Stoddard claimed the information was a trade secret, drawing snickers from the crowd.
SF Mayor Lurie texted Waymo CEO about robotaxi blocking fire truck during power outage
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Mayor Daniel Lurie texted Waymo's CEO during the December 20, 2025 power outage, citing a Waymo car blocking a fire truck from reaching an active fire. Lurie identified immobilized robotaxis blocking traffic from Chinatown to the Inner Sunset.