A widespread power failure in San Francisco turned into an unexpected public test for autonomous vehicle technology, highlighting a stark contrast between two industry giants. Hundreds of Waymo's self-driving cars were left immobilized on city roads, while Tesla vehicles using the Full Self-Driving (FSD) mode reportedly navigated the chaos without issue.
The Blackout That Paralyzed a City and Its Robotaxis
The incident unfolded when a significant portion of a Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) substation caught fire, causing critical grid components to fail. This led to a massive blackout affecting over 130,000 homes and businesses across neighborhoods including the Richmond, Sunset, Presidio, and Golden Gate Park areas. The failure caused major transit disruptions, with non-functioning traffic signals creating gridlock.
Amid the confusion, social media was flooded with videos and photos from users showing Waymo's driverless vehicles stalled in traffic, seemingly unable to proceed without functional traffic lights and clear mapping data. The company's driverless ride-hail service in the San Francisco Bay Area was severely impacted.
Elon Musk and the "Billions of Real-World Miles" Debate
The event quickly escalated into a public relations battle on platform X (formerly Twitter). User Mario Nawfal shared contrasting videos: one of a stranded Waymo and another of dashcam footage from a Tesla using FSD mode navigating the darkened streets. Nawfal's commentary framed the event as a fundamental test of AI training philosophy.
"Waymo bet on maps and order. Tesla bet on mess - and won," Nawfal wrote, arguing that Tesla's AI, trained on billions of real-world miles, was better equipped for unpredictable chaos compared to systems reliant on simulated perfection. Tesla CEO Elon Musk directly quoted this post, adding, "Tesla Robotaxis were unaffected by the SF power outage." The official Tesla AI account also shared the dashcam video with the caption: "FSD is trained on billions of real-world miles, including power outages."
Waymo's Response and the Path Forward
In response to the incident, Waymo confirmed it has since resumed its services. Spokesperson Suzanne Philion stated, "While the failure of the utility infrastructure was significant, we are committed to ensuring our technology adjusts to traffic flow during such events." She described the outage as a widespread event that caused general gridlock, implying the challenges were not unique to autonomous systems.
This real-world stress test has ignited a crucial conversation within the tech and automotive industries:
- Resilience vs. Predictability: Should autonomous systems be optimized for orderly, mapped environments or trained to handle unpredictable "mess"?
- Infrastructure Dependence: How much should self-driving technology rely on external infrastructure like always-on traffic signals and high-definition maps?
- Public Perception: Incidents like this directly impact consumer trust in the safety and reliability of driverless technology.
The San Francisco blackout served as a dramatic, unscripted trial that moved the debate from theoretical labs to the public eye. As cities and companies push forward with autonomous vehicle deployment, developing AI that can safely handle the inevitable imperfections of the real world—from power failures to extreme weather—remains the ultimate challenge.
