--- title: "Waymo Hiring For a “Public Affairs Specialist” in Los Angeles While People Are Settings Its Cars on Fire" description: "Waymo is hiring a \"public affairs specialist\" after becoming an unwitting participant in Los Angeles' anti-immigration raid protests." date: "2025-06-11" modified: "2025-06-11" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/waymo-public-affairs-specialist" categories: - "Advanced Transport" tags: - "immigration" - "los angeles" - "protests" - "robotaxis" - "waymo" --- # Waymo Hiring For a “Public Affairs Specialist” in Los Angeles While People Are Settings Its Cars on Fire ![Waymo is hiring a "public affairs specialist" after becoming an unwitting participant in Los Angeles' anti-immigration raid protests.]() *\Image: Benjamin Hanson / Middle East Images / AFP via Getty\* 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*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()