https://eletric-vehicles.com/waymo/waymo-exec-admits-remote-operators-in-philippines-help-guide-us-robotaxis/ EV * Tesla * Lucid * Rivian + Rivian + Also + Mind Robotics * Nio Group + Nio + Onvo + Firefly * Xpeng * Other Brands + BYD + Ford + Xiaomi + Polestar + GM + Zeekr + Volvo + Li Auto + Yangwang + Vinfast + Mercedes-Benz + Aito + Canoo + Faraday Future + Nikola + Denza + GAC Group + Slate + Aion + VW Group o Volkswagen o Audi o Porsche + SAIC Group o MG o IM Motors + Stellantis Group o Alfa Romeo o DS o Opel o Peugeot o Ram * About * Contact * Tesla * Lucid * Rivian + Rivian + Also + Mind Robotics * Nio Group + Nio + Onvo + Firefly * Xpeng * Other Brands + BYD + Ford + Xiaomi + Polestar + GM + Zeekr + Volvo + Li Auto + Yangwang + Vinfast + Mercedes-Benz + Aito + Canoo + Faraday Future + Nikola + Denza + GAC Group + Slate + Aion + VW Group o Volkswagen o Audi o Porsche + SAIC Group o MG o IM Motors + Stellantis Group o Alfa Romeo o DS o Opel o Peugeot o Ram * About * Contact Subscribe to EV's Newsletter * X * LinkedIn EV EV EVEV EVEV Search for: [ ] [Search] * Tesla * Lucid * Rivian + Rivian + Also + Mind Robotics * Nio Group + Nio + Onvo + Firefly * Xpeng * Other Brands + BYD + Ford + Xiaomi + Polestar + GM + Zeekr + Volvo + Li Auto + Yangwang + Vinfast + Mercedes-Benz + Aito + Canoo + Faraday Future + Nikola + Denza + GAC Group + Slate + Aion + VW Group o Volkswagen o Audi o Porsche + SAIC Group o MG o IM Motors + Stellantis Group o Alfa Romeo o DS o Opel o Peugeot o Ram * About * Contact Search for: [ ] [Search] Waymo vehicle in the US Image Credit: Waymo Home | Waymo Exec Admits Remote Operators in Philippines Help Guide US Robotaxis Waymo Exec Admits Remote Operators in Philippines Help Guide US Robotaxis [svg][5f2a7e7] Posted by Claudio Afonso 5th February 2026 Share on READ NEXT Waymo VehicleWaymo Vehicle US Regulator to Investigate Waymo Robotaxi Crash With Child Waymo's Chief Safety Officer disclosed Wednesday that some of the remote operators who assist its self-driving vehicles in navigating difficult scenarios are based in the Philippines. Mauricio Pena, the company's Chief Safety Officer, confirmed under questioning that the Alphabet subsidiary employs human operators abroad to provide guidance to its robotaxis when they encounter challenging driving situations. Pena noted that the vehicles remain in control of all driving tasks at all times. "They provide guidance. They do not remotely drive the vehicles," Pena told the Senate committee. "The Waymo vehicle is always in charge of the dynamic driving tasks, so that is just one additional input." When pressed on how many operators are located outside the United States, Pena said he did not have the breakdown available, escalating frustration from senators. "It just seems kind of curious that you don't know that answer," one senator responded, before asking in which countries the operators are located. "The Philippines," Pena replied. Safety and Security Concerns The disclosure drew immediate pushback from lawmakers, who raised concerns about cybersecurity vulnerabilities, outdated information relays, and the qualifications of overseas operators. "Having people overseas influencing American vehicles is a safety issue," the senator said. "The information the operators receive could be out of date. It could introduce tremendous cybersecurity vulnerabilities. We don't know if these people have US driver's licenses." The senator also criticized the labor implications, noting that Waymo's autonomous vehicles are already displacing taxi and rideshare drivers in the United States. "It's one thing when a taxi is replaced by an Uber or a Lyft. It's another thing when the jobs just go completely overseas," the senator added. The hearing brought together top executives from both Waymo and Tesla to make the case for the safety of their autonomous driving systems before the Senate committee, with both companies insisting their technology is safer than human drivers despite recent incidents. Tesla's Take Tesla was represented by its Vice-President of Vehicle Engineering Lars Moravy. The VP quoted the company's CEO Elon Musk when he said, over a decade ago, that one of his biggest fears was "the possibility that someone could do, as you described, take over an autonomous vehicle and do something nefarious." "Since that day, we've been committed to making sure that never happens," Moravy guaranteed. "We have many layers of security within our system and similar to what Dr. Pena said, our driving controls, go, stop, steer, are in a core embedded central layer that cannot be accessed from outside the vehicle," the VP said referring to Waymo's Chief Safety Officer. Tesla began operating robotaxis using slightly modified Model Ys in Austin last June. Since then, the Elon Musk-led company has been expanding both the fleet and geographically as Tesla rolls out the service to more states following the Texas Debut. The company has recently removed safety operators in Austin, with Musk aiming for an aggressive expansion in the next few years. Congress is considering how to move forward with legislation to create uniform federal safety regulations for self-driving vehicles, which are becoming increasingly common in major US cities. Santa Monica Accident Last week, the US regulators started investigating a January 23 incident where a Waymo autonomous vehicle hit a child near a Santa Monica elementary school. The incident occurred during school drop-off hours when the Waymo robotaxi struck a child who was running across the street toward the school, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). There were other children, a crossing guard, and several double-parked vehicles in the vicinity at the time. The company claims that its peer-reviewed model indicates that a human driver in a similar scenario would have hit the kid at a higher speed. "To put this in perspective, our peer-reviewed model shows that a fully attentive human driver in this same situation would have made contact with the pedestrian at approximately 14 mph," Waymo said. "This significant reduction in impact speed and severity is a demonstration of the material safety benefit of the Waymo Driver," the company added. The investigation comes weeks after a Waymo robotaxi became trapped on light rail tracks in Phoenix, forcing a passenger to exit the vehicle before an approaching train struck the autonomous car. Claudio Afonso 5th February 2026 [svg][5f2a7e7a3bda196367f39eb5dc7] Claudio Afonso View More Posts Claudio Afonso founded CARBA in early 2021 and launched the news blog EV later that year. Following a 1.5-year hiatus, he relaunched EV in April 2024. In late 2024, he also started AV, a blog dedicated to the autonomous vehicle industry. Founder at CARBA (EV + AV + PT) Waymo Car struck in PhoenixWaymo Car struck in Phoenix Waymo Waymo Robotaxi Drives Onto Light Rail Tracks in Phoenix, Passenger Escapes [Video] A Waymo robotaxi became trapped on light rail tracks in Phoenix on Wednesday afternoon, forcing the passenger to exit the vehicle and cross the roadway before an approaching train struck the autonomous car. 7th January 2026 John Krafcik, Rivian Board Member and Former Waymo CEO, at Los Angeles Auto Show 2017John Krafcik, Rivian Board Member and Former Waymo CEO, at Los Angeles Auto Show 2017 RivianTeslaWaymo Rivian Board Member Calls Personal Robotaxis 'Silly' Within Two Years John Krafcik, former CEO of Google's Waymo and a current Rivian Board Member, recently commented on the progress of self-driving cars, highlighting the technology's contribution to advanced driver-assistance systems. 7th January 2026 Cybercab at the GigaTexas plantCybercab at the GigaTexas plant GeneralMercedes-BenzTeslaWaymoZoox House Committee Sets Hearing on Bill to Raise Robotaxi Deployment Cap to 90,000 A US House Committee will hold a hearing on January 13 on bills to ease autonomous vehicle deployment without human controls. 7th January 2026 Tesla's Elon Musk speaking at a Saudi Arabia eventTesla's Elon Musk speaking at a Saudi Arabia event TeslaWaymo Musk Dismisses Waymo Threat, Says It 'Never Really Had a Chance Against Tesla' Tesla CEO Elon Musk dismissed Alphabet's Waymo as a serious competitor in the autonomous vehicle race, claiming the robotaxi pioneer "never really had a chance" against Tesla. 10th December 2025 [svg][EV_Logo_Black] Founded in 2021 Subscribe to our Newsletter Home About Other brands [svg][Logos-Footer-17-800x513] [svg][Logos-Footer-18-800x513] [svg][AV_BrandLogos_22102025-800x513] Contact [email protected] Follow * X * LinkedIn * Mail (c) 2025 CARBA | EV -- All rights reserved.