Tesla CEO Elon Musk criticizes Waymo autonomous vehicles after SF blackout

Tesla CEO Elon Musk Waymo has criticized Waymo after its self-driving cars stopped moving at an intersection in San Francisco during a major power outage over the weekend, causing traffic jams.

Waymo temporarily suspended its self-driving ride-hailing service in the San Francisco Bay Area on Saturday. large scale power outage Approximately 130,000 homes and businesses were left without power. A video has been shared online that appears to show a Waymo self-driving car stalling at an intersection, causing traffic jams throughout the affected area.

“Tesla robotaxis were not affected by the SF power outage,” Musk wrote on X, reposting a video showing a Waymo vehicle stopped at a traffic light intersection as a line of cars honked and tried to detour. Musk also reposted a video that purportedly shows a Tesla self-driving car driving through an intersection with no working traffic lights.

A Waymo spokesperson told Fox News Digital in an email statement Sunday afternoon that the company chose to suspend service Saturday night but will resume ride-hailing in the region.

Tesla’s self-driving car catches fire again

”[Saturday’s] A spokesperson said: “The power outages were widespread, causing traffic congestion across San Francisco, including outages and traffic disruptions. The disruption to public infrastructure was significant, and we are committed to ensuring our technology adapts to traffic flow when these events occur.”

After a massive power outage in San Francisco on December 20, 2025, Waymo’s driverless cars failed to detect traffic lights. The company announced that vehicles were stopped for longer than usual at intersections with traffic lights, causing traffic congestion. (Teyfan Coskun/via Anadolu/Getty Images)

The company’s Waymo Driver Fully autonomous driving technologyThe company says it is designed to treat a non-functioning traffic light as a four-way stop.

Tesla brings back ‘Mad Max’ mode with fully autonomous driving

But due to the scale of Saturday’s outage, Waymo’s self-driving cars continued to stop longer than usual to assess conditions at affected intersections, contributing to congestion, the company said.

A Waymo car stops on the street during a power outage in San Francisco on December 20, 2025. This screenshot taken from a social media video. (/Reuters Photo)

A spokesperson said the company is “focused on quickly integrating the lessons learned from this incident.”

Waymo is owned by Alphabet Inc., the same parent company as Google.

Elon Musk harshly criticized rival self-driving technology company Waymo after the company’s self-driving cars appeared to stop at an intersection with no working traffic lights during a power outage in San Francisco on Saturday. (Stephanie Reynolds/File/via Bloomberg/Getty Images)

Large-scale power outages are, at least in part, Fire that occurred inside Pacific Gas and Electric Co. substation at 8th and Mission Streets. The power outage affected about 130,000 homes and businesses, or about one-third of the utility’s customers.

CLICK HERE TO GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE GO

In an update Sunday morning, PG&E said damage from the substation fire was “significant and extensive” and noted that repairs and recovery would be “complex.”

People look at areas affected by a power outage that affected about 130,000 residents, according to Pacific Gas and Electric Company in San Francisco, Dec. 21, 2025. (Carlos Barria/Reuters Photo)

As of 7:30 a.m. Sunday, the power company said crews had restored power. Approximately 110,000 customersAbout 21,000 customers remain without power, primarily in a small area of ​​the Presidio, Richmond District, Golden Gate Park and downtown San Francisco.