Waymo is hiring a "community and public affairs specialist" — at the same time that the company's self-driving vehicles were becoming unwitting participants in Los Angeles' anti-immigration raid protests.
After rabblerousers set fire to a bunch of Waymo's driverless cabs, the company suspended service in the city of Angels and San Francisco, where satellite solidarity protests also broke out. While it was all going down, the public affairs specialist listing was live, like a cautionary tale for the challenges of the role.
"Our focus is implementing advocacy, grassroots, and grasstops campaigns to drive acceptance and adoption of our life-saving technology," reads the listing. "We work directly with key third party groups and influencers to educate the public on the safety benefits of Waymo's fully autonomous driving technology."
With compensation ranging from $125,000 to $175,000 per year, the Google-owned robotaxi service is seeking someone who can "develop and sustain relationships with influential community organizations and (non-elected) leaders" as the company attempts to "build trust" and "maintain Waymo's ability to operate in Los Angeles County."
Though there's ample allusion to "community" — a word used a total of 10 times on the job listing — Waymo was not explicit in the ad about why it's hiring for such a liaison at this precise moment. And to be fair, those outside of leftist circles in LA and online may also be a bit perplexed about why the company was targeted amid protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
As tech journalist Taylor Lorenz noted on X over the weekend, it appears that activists zeroed in on Waymos as a symbol of state surveillance because, as 404 Media flagged earlier this year, the Los Angeles Police Department has used footage from the company for investigative purposes.
"People view the cars as an extension of the police," Lorenz wrote, linking to the 404 piece.
Because the more destructive aspects of the anti-ICE protests were seemingly decentralized and spontaneous, there's no way to know for sure whose idea it was to start torching Waymos.
With that in mind, the company clearly wants to start doing the hard work of extricating its brand from that of the massively unpopular federal agency — though issuing a statement in solidarity with the communities it's trying to court would probably make for a better start. Take note, applicants.
Updated to clarify that the job listing was already up at the time of the attacks on Waymo vehicles.
More on robotaxis: Elon Musk's "Robotaxis" Have a Dirty Secret
Share This Article