Technology· Software

In a swipe at Tesla, Waymo says ‘cameras… aren’t enough’

As Tesla gears up for the official launch of its steering wheel and pedal-less Cybercabs, Waymo is issuing a stark warning about Elon Musk’s approach autonomous driving. Srikanth Thirumalai, Waymo’s VP of Onboard Software, doesn’t specifically call out Musk or Tesla in a blog post, published Wednesday, entitled “10 AI Lessons from Driving 200+ Million Fully Autonomous Miles.” But his intention is clear: Tesla’s system is insufficient to the task of fully autonomous driving.

By AI NewsroomPublished about 12 hours agoUpdated about 12 hours ago0 views

In a swipe at Tesla, Waymo says ‘cameras… aren’t enough’

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Key Facts

Fact 1: Srikanth Thirumalai, Waymo’s VP of Onboard Software, doesn’t specifically call out Musk or Tesla in a blog post, published Wednesday, entitled “10 AI Lessons from Driving 200+ Million Fully Autonomous Miles.” But his intention is clear: Tesla’s system is insufficient to the task of fully autonomous driving.
Fact 2: Now, after more than 200 million real-world miles, the data is clear: safe, fully autonomous operations at scale require more.” Waymo uses cameras, in addition to lidar and radar, to create “a rich, redundant world view that no single sensor can replicate,” he adds.
Fact 3: AUSTIN, TEXAS - APRIL 8: Tesla Cybercabs are lined up on a lot at Tesla Giga Texas in Austin, Wednesday, April 8, 2026.
Fact 4: Thirumalai goes on to describe some of Waymo’s other principles — closed-loop simulation can help identify more edge cases, Vision-Language Models are great reasoning tools — before concluding with his most direct swipe at Tesla yet: you can’t build a fully autonomous system on a Level 2 driver assist one.

“Cameras are incredible, but they aren’t enough,” Thirumalai writes. “For years, there’s been a debate over whether cameras alone could solve full autonomy. Now, after more than 200 million real-world miles, the data is clear: safe, fully autonomous operations at scale require more.” Waymo uses cameras, in addition to lidar and radar, to create “a rich, redundant world view that no single sensor can replicate,” he adds.

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