Apple recruits senior Waymo engineer & NASA veteran for self-driving car project
The latest addition to Apple's self-driving car team is Jaime Waydo, previously a senior engineer at Alphabet's Waymo as well as NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
Waydo was "instrumental" at Waymo, some of her former coworkers told The Information. Specifically she was responsible for checking the safety of prototypes, and helped coach the company on when it was okay to begin real-world road tests in Phoenix.
Before that the engineer was with JPL for over a decade, where her signature work was developing one of NASA's Mars rovers.
The implications of the hire are uncertain, but safety has become a paramount concern in the self-driving car industry following a death caused by an Uber vehicle and multiple accidents involving partially autonomous Tesla cars. Apple has been steadily growing its test fleet, and may need more people for quality control.
The state of Apple's self-driving project is otherwise uncertain. The company started out designing its own electric vehicle under the codename "Project Titan," but soon scaled back to platform work. Its long-term goal may be the ridehailing market, most likely in partnership with one or more third parties.
Recently the company reportedly signed a deal with Volkswagen to use T6 Transporter vans for its PAIL (Palo Alto to Infinite Loop) shuttle network. The project is allegedly behind schedule, and consuming most of the Apple car division's time. Even once the shuttles are ready it's expected that they'll still have a backup driver and a co-pilot.
Waydo was "instrumental" at Waymo, some of her former coworkers told The Information. Specifically she was responsible for checking the safety of prototypes, and helped coach the company on when it was okay to begin real-world road tests in Phoenix.
Before that the engineer was with JPL for over a decade, where her signature work was developing one of NASA's Mars rovers.
The implications of the hire are uncertain, but safety has become a paramount concern in the self-driving car industry following a death caused by an Uber vehicle and multiple accidents involving partially autonomous Tesla cars. Apple has been steadily growing its test fleet, and may need more people for quality control.
The state of Apple's self-driving project is otherwise uncertain. The company started out designing its own electric vehicle under the codename "Project Titan," but soon scaled back to platform work. Its long-term goal may be the ridehailing market, most likely in partnership with one or more third parties.
Recently the company reportedly signed a deal with Volkswagen to use T6 Transporter vans for its PAIL (Palo Alto to Infinite Loop) shuttle network. The project is allegedly behind schedule, and consuming most of the Apple car division's time. Even once the shuttles are ready it's expected that they'll still have a backup driver and a co-pilot.
Comments
This paragraph is stated as fact despite zero supporting evidence that Apple was ever working on anything other than the same project they are working on now. There's a difference between stating facts and repeating an accepted (but likely to be at least partially inaccurate) media-invented narrative, as I think we all learned (well, most of us learned) from last quarter's "the iPhone X is a flop" narrative.
Show me an interview with some former employee who worked on the project or other proof that Apple was ever actually building its own branded electric car before claiming that as fact, please. The only "evidence" I've seen of this ever has been links to other stories from the echo chamber conjecturing the same thing.
For starters, why would any of those companies pay Apple when they already have their solutions in place and in R&D? I'd think Apple would have to be so far ahead of these automotive makers and the cost for them be so high that they'd be willing willing to scrap their own projects to integrate with Apple's solution. But even then how would HW support be handled? Apple silicon could be a requirement, but what about all the sensors used by the automotive maker which are sourced from vendors? If anyone can figure that out I think Apple under Cook can, but I still can't see a clear path regardless of the scenario I imagine.
PS: Tesla still doesn't offer CarPlay so I'm not expecting them to jump into Apple's lap with autonomous driving.
The most difficult part of autonomous/self driving vehicles is the software. And the type of software Apple isn’t known for. I’m surprised at how many believe Apple couldn’t design and build an electric vehicle but could design and build the software to run someone else’s vehicle.
But you are probably right, both companies want total control and all the glory. I just don’t see Apple manufacturing an automobile.
The resistance of car makers is built on how best to monetise the software. Entertainment systems were used for years to upsell to higher spec models. CarPlay has ruined that business model.
Autonomous systems will be the same montisation upsell if the automakers could “engineer” that outcome. An Apple system though would work the same no matter what spec.
And that is a minor thing before you get to the regulatory, legal and liability issues to be resolved.
Apple realized the car design & hardware we’re going to be the easiest part, and the software, mapping, R&D, production&facilities etc. were going to be the most difficult part and hence, are focusing on those difficult parts before designing the door handles.
people are can’t explain why Apple invested 1 b in the Chinese Uber, that’s the strangest investment t’héberge made and gives you a hint that initially at least they may not be building consumer cars. But they’re also not merely selling their software to others. At that game, you become a component in somebody else’s value and I don’t ever see Apple going there. CarPlay and the like is not the same
I'm sure they invested in Didi to get a foothold in car data and possibly expansion with an Apple Car service.
I figure Apple will release it when it's ready. I'm sure Apple could have released the Watch years prior and HomePod too but they didn't wanna release an unfinished product.