Waymo co-CEO Dmitri Dolgov argued that camera-only self-driving systems hit a low performance ceiling, an indirect jab at Tesla's driverless strategy. The critique lands as Morgan Stanley pegs autonomous driving and robotaxis as the source of 41% of Tesla's valuation, while Amazon's Zoox has already secured the regulatory approval Tesla still lacks.
Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas values Tesla using a sum-of-the-parts model that treats it as an AI, software, energy, and robotics company rather than a traditional automaker. Jonas attributes 41% of that valuation to autonomous driving and robotaxis, against 34% from the core automotive and energy business and about 25% from the Optimus robot. That weighting is why a rival's public criticism of Tesla's driving-tech approach matters to investors.
Waymo co-CEO questions camera-only sensing
Speaking at Y Combinator's Startup School, Alphabet's Waymo co-CEO Dmitri Dolgov argued that camera-only self-driving technology amounts to weak sensing, developing quickly at first before hitting a lower ceiling for long-term performance. He did not name Tesla directly.
Waymo instead combines cameras, LiDAR, and radar. According to The Motley Fool: "These different sensing modalities, they're not backups to each other", Dolgov said, adding that fusing the three produces a view of the road superior to any single sensor. Tesla has chosen the camera-only route to keep costs down.
Other obstacles stack up
Beyond the sensing debate, Tesla must replace the self-driving computer in roughly 4 million vehicles or otherwise compensate owners, after acknowledging that its Hardware 3 computer cannot deliver the unsupervised self-driving it was sold as capable of. Tesla has also given no transparency or timeline for approving its Cybercab to carry paying passengers.
Zoox already has the approval Tesla wants
Rivals are moving faster on regulatory clearance. Amazon's Zoox has received approval from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to commercially deploy its steering-wheel-free robotaxis, and the company plans to begin charging for rides in Las Vegas shortly. Waymo has similarly built a lead in commercial robotaxi service.
Because Tesla's valuation leans so heavily on robotaxi potential, the gap in sensing credibility and regulatory approval carries direct weight for the stock.
Source: The Motley Fool
Trading involves risk.
Risk Disclaimer
