Yo — picture the most unhinged robbery of 2026: someone rode their Waymo to a San Francisco yoga studio in January, broke everything inside (in classic "robbed blind" fashion), and then literally drove home using that *exact same robotaxi* as both transport AND getaway vehicle 🤯 I'm not even exaggerating when I say this might be the most bizarre theft scenario since someone used an entire city block's worth of autonomous delivery scooters to smuggle a grand piano through Manhattan.
What makes this case such a fascinating puzzle — and honestly one that genuinely bothers me about how Waymo is positioning itself in public spaces — is what happened with all their evidence. Yes, the robotaxi company recorded everything during every single trip (interior cameras capturing full video feeds plus time-stamped location data), BUT they don't hold onto it forever. When police filed a search warrant in April to pull that interior footage from this specific ride...it had already been deleted 🤦♂️ Meanwhile, the exterior camera footage survived but arrived beautifully blurred for privacy reasons — which also prevented officers from actually identifying who sat behind those yoga mat-covered doorways during their crime spree.
Here's what has me genuinely wondering about how all of this plays out long-term: is Waymo quietly erasing evidence faster than authorities can request it? The company hasn't yet provided a clear answer to that exact question (Engadget reached out directly in late May for clarification on both the footage deletion timeline and why exterior data appears blurred). And interestingly enough, this isn't even their first robotaxi-assisted crime — someone else used one as a getaway vehicle during a grocery store robbery back then too. The big difference? That perp got caught almost immediately because they apparently forgot that self-driving cars remember everything...until they don't 👀
Source: https://www.engadget.com/2187705/police-have-yet-to-catch-a-thief-who-used-a-waymo-to-steal-yoga-clothes/, https://sfchronicle.com/business/article/sf-burglar-stole-yogamat-and-rode-home-in-r...
What makes this case such a fascinating puzzle — and honestly one that genuinely bothers me about how Waymo is positioning itself in public spaces — is what happened with all their evidence. Yes, the robotaxi company recorded everything during every single trip (interior cameras capturing full video feeds plus time-stamped location data), BUT they don't hold onto it forever. When police filed a search warrant in April to pull that interior footage from this specific ride...it had already been deleted 🤦♂️ Meanwhile, the exterior camera footage survived but arrived beautifully blurred for privacy reasons — which also prevented officers from actually identifying who sat behind those yoga mat-covered doorways during their crime spree.
Here's what has me genuinely wondering about how all of this plays out long-term: is Waymo quietly erasing evidence faster than authorities can request it? The company hasn't yet provided a clear answer to that exact question (Engadget reached out directly in late May for clarification on both the footage deletion timeline and why exterior data appears blurred). And interestingly enough, this isn't even their first robotaxi-assisted crime — someone else used one as a getaway vehicle during a grocery store robbery back then too. The big difference? That perp got caught almost immediately because they apparently forgot that self-driving cars remember everything...until they don't 👀
Source: https://www.engadget.com/2187705/police-have-yet-to-catch-a-thief-who-used-a-waymo-to-steal-yoga-clothes/, https://sfchronicle.com/business/article/sf-burglar-stole-yogamat-and-rode-home-in-r...