On social media, manu viewers stunned after a viral video showing man nearly misses flight after Google’s self-driving car drives around parking lot in circles.
A Los Angeles man narrowly missed his flight due to an unexpected malfunction in Google’s self-driving car, Waymo. Mike Johns, a US tech expert, ordered a Waymo taxi to take him to the airport.
However, the car malfunctioned, driving in circles around a parking lot, causing delays and frustration.
Johns’ story, shared on social media, has gone viral, raising concerns about the reliability of self-driving technology.
A nightmare ride: Waymo self- driving car stuck in circles
On social media, Mike Johns captures nightmare with Waymo self-driving car after finding himself stuck in circles.
He shared video on social media, which gained attention a mong viewers.
Mike Johns’ self-driving Waymo taxi was supposed to take him to the airport, but it instead kept driving in circles.
The incident took place in December as Johns was returning home from Scottsdale, Arizona. Johns was stuck in the car for several minutes, unable to stop it.
He filmed his experience, expressing confusion and dizziness as the car repeatedly circled the parking lot.
In the video, he stated, “Why is this thing going in a circle? I’m getting dizzy.” As the car continued to drive in circles, Johns tried unsuccessfully to stop it. Despite being on the phone with a customer service representative, the car’s malfunction could not be fixed in time for his flight.
Johns furious over Waymo’s self-driving service
Johns expressed his frustration with Waymo’s customer service during the incident.
He felt that the digital support lacked empathy, wondering if he was speaking to a real person or an AI.
“Where’s the empathy? Where’s the human connection?” he asked. Johns, who works in the tech industry, criticized the lack of a personal touch in the service, calling it an example of a “half-baked product.”
Social media reaction
Johns’s video quickly went viral and sparked debate a mong viewers.
In the comments, many viewers express shock about Waymo’s self-driving problem, while others claim they will never use Waymo’s service again.
One person said:Definite hard pass on the self-driving car. The accidents and injuries continue.
A second wrote: I feel like this is the first of many hilarious stories to come.
While a third commented: You trusted a self driving car to get you to your destination, yet it can’t even park?
Someone else said: I will never get in one of these cars or on an airplane without a pilot! We need REASONING to perform these skills.
Another added: Hate this car. Hate the idea. Dislike ownership of Tesla that might benefit from this 4,000 pound unmanned weapon.
Waymo resolves issue, but johns plans to avoid self-driving cars
After the incident, Waymo was able to regain control of the car and Johns made his flight in time.
However, Johns has vowed never to use Waymo again until the issues are fixed.
He still hasn’t heard back from a Waymo representative regarding his concerns. “Human-less, right? Human-less,” he said, referring to the lack of human interaction in his experience.
Waymon responsed the incident
Waymo responded to the incident by stating that the issue had been addressed through a software update.
The company confirmed that Johns was not charged for the ride, which lasted almost five minutes.
A Waymo representative attempted to reach out to Johns and left a voicemail. However, the company has yet to provide further comments on the incident.