Waymo Taxi Glitch Traps Passenger in Phoenix

Mike Johns, a tech entrepreneur, experienced a chaotic ride in a driverless Waymo taxi that malfunctioned and trapped him in a parking lot, causing it to spin in circles for several minutes. Despite his frantic attempts to seek assistance from Waymo's support team, he was left helpless as the vehicle looped around eight times, nearly making him miss his flight in Phoenix, Arizona. The incident, which he described as feeling like a 'sci-fi thriller', was attributed to a software glitch that Waymo has since addressed through an update. Although shaken, Johns, an AI enthusiast, stated that he remains optimistic about the future of autonomous vehicles and does not plan to abandon them entirely. He did mention, however, that he might temporarily revert to traditional ride services like Lyft or Uber following this unsettling experience. Waymo confirmed that Johns was not charged for the ride and has been actively testing its autonomous technology in various cities across the U.S.