A nine-year-old bodega cat died after a Waymo autonomous vehicle swerved into it while avoiding an obstacle in the road, according to Mission Local. Tesla CEO Elon Musk reacted to the news on X, sparking another wave of criticism amid a bumpy year for his company.
What’s happening?
Witnesses in San Francisco’s Mission District neighborhood say that a Waymo hit store mascot KitKat late on Oct. 27 near Randa’s Market on 16th Street. A 311 complaint filed early the next morning and obtained by Mission Local claims that the autonomous vehicle “hit the liquor store’s cat that was sitting in the sidewalk next to the transit lane” and “did not even try to stop.”
Residents are mourning the death of the beloved cat. KitKat was often spotted napping at Randa’s next to store proprietor Mike Zeidan, who is still grieving the loss of his pet.
“It’s sad. Everyone’s heartbroken. I’ve been crying all f****** day and night. He’s the baby. He was everyone’s best friend, and he was just the sweetest boy,” said Jessica Chapdelaine, a Delirium bartender who lives above Randa’s.
Why would Tesla CEO Elon Musk react to KitKat’s death?
KitKat’s death served as a launching point for a debate about the virtues of autonomous vehicle technology, as Mission Local and the Daily Beast highlighted.
One grieving resident in the Mission District placed a sign at a memorial for KitKat that read: “Kill a Waymo! Save a Cat!” Another woman shouted, “Kitty cats, not killer cars.”
Musk chose to enter the fray. However, critics viewed his reaction as a self-serving attempt to bolster Tesla’s future profits as people were mourning, given that Musk hopes to position Tesla as a leader in robotics and AI. Tesla’s autonomous robotaxi service is part of those plans.
“5.4 million cats are hit by cars every year in the U.S., and 97 % of those cats die from their injuries. Autonomy will dramatically reduce that number,” Whole Mars Catalog (@WholeMarsBlog) wrote on X, citing an estimate widely published by pet blogs. Musk reposted the blog’s take, adding, “True, many pets will be saved by autonomy.”
“The robot car just killed a pet, did you not read the headline?” one commenter asked.
How does autonomous technology impact consumer safety?
Waymo’s autonomous EVs operate in five major cities and counting. The EVs have completed millions of successful trips, helping consumers make more eco-friendly transportation choices that also benefit public health. Exposure to fumes from gas-powered vehicles is linked to immune system damage, heart disease, respiratory issues, and other health problems.
Waymo did not respond to Mission Local’s request for comment on KitKat’s death.
For his part, Musk has remained bullish on Tesla’s offerings, telling the Financial Times several years ago, when the company’s autonomous tech was in earlier stages of development, “I don’t think there’s a CEO on this planet that cares more about safety than me.”
Tesla EVs regularly earn top safety ratings, though drivers have reported alarming glitches while using the company’s supervised Full Self-Driving technology and similar features. Tesla’s Robotaxis also continue to be plagued by reports of safety issues amid ongoing testing.
Leave a Reply