Self-driving test drivers for Waymo and Zooz sustained more than two dozen injuries in 2024 and 2025 due to hard braking or other sudden vehicle movements, according to data submitted to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Some workers were sidelined for months with injuries such as whiplash after abrupt stops. The findings, reported by TechCrunch senior reporter Sean O’Kane, include interviews with current and former employees. It remains unclear whether other autonomous vehicle developers face similar issues, as some companies may be exempt from OSHA reporting requirements.
The injuries highlight a hidden cost in the push toward autonomous vehicles, which proponents argue will reduce crashes. However, the data from federal submissions suggests the technology’s development phase carries its own risks for the human operators involved in testing. Waymo and Zooz are among the most visible robotaxi developers in the U.S., where their vehicles operate in several cities. The safety regulator reports do not specify which company had more incidents.
In related autonomous vehicle news, Gatik, the startup known for self-driving box trucks, has secured $200 million in new funding from Qatar Investment Authority and Koch Disruptive Technologies, with participation from Millennium Management, ARK Invest, and Intact Private Capital. The company, which moved from research to commercial operations, delivers freight from distribution centers to retail stores like Walmart. Gatik also signed a multiyear commercial agreement with PepsiCo in June, part of $600 million in contracted revenue.
Other companies in the mobility sector raised capital this week. Airbound, an Indian startup building autonomous drones, raised $37 million in a Series A round led by Greenoaks, with DoorDash, Lachy Groom, Lightspeed, and Humba Ventures participating. Mubadala Capital agreed to acquire a majority equity interest in Arrive Logistics, a truckload brokerage based in Austin. Regent Craft, a Rhode Island electric seaglider developer, raised $120 million in a Series B round co-led by Mare Liberum and AE Ventures, plus about $120 million in debt from Erebor Bank, founded by Anduril Industries’ Palmer Luckey.
In other industry moves, Vista Global Holding, a UAE-based private aviation group, is considering a European IPO that could raise over $1 billion, per Bloomberg. General Motors is under increased scrutiny from U.S. safety regulators following hundreds of incidents, more than 20 crashes or fires, and at least six injuries involving brake problems in its EVs. Ford hired Dave Carroll as president of its energy business, succeeding Lisa Drake. Rivian CFO Claire McDonough will resign at the end of October, departing during a critical period as the company works on its robotaxi deal with Uber and scaling production of its R2 SUV.
Uber launched a live video streaming feature for parents to monitor their children during rides. Waymo shared ten lessons from over 200 million autonomous miles, emphasizing that multimodal sensors are indispensable, a stance opposing Tesla’s camera-only approach. Waymo also announced plans to launch in Munich, Germany. The company clarified earlier statements about its custom silicon chip, noting that the 1,000 TOPS performance figure applies to the system, not a single chip.
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