Waymo's Robotaxis Take Over Silicon Valley - This Time for Real

Waymo just unleashed its self-driving cars on Silicon Valley. The company's robotaxis now operate 24/7 across a 27-square-mile zone including Mountain View, Palo Alto, Los Altos, and parts of Sunnyvale.

It's a homecoming of sorts. Waymo began here as Google's quirky self-driving experiment in 2009. Back then, founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page dared their engineers to complete ten 100-mile autonomous routes. Those engineers delivered, probably fueled by a mix of caffeine and Silicon Valley optimism.

The rollout starts small. Only select locals with the right zip codes can summon these driverless chariots. Meanwhile, Waymo keeps expanding elsewhere - they've already partnered with Uber in Austin and plan to hit Atlanta next.

Chief Product Officer Saswat Panigrahi calls it a "special milestone." That's a modest way of saying they've come full circle: from testing secretive prototypes in Google's backyard to letting residents actually sleep through their commute.

Why this matters:

• Silicon Valley finally gets to ride in the robots it created
• The neighborhood that birthed self-driving cars now trusts them to drive its kids to soccer practice