The self-driving car revolution just hit another embarrassing speed bump, and it's a doozy. Google's Waymo, the supposed leader in autonomous vehicle technology, has quietly begun hiring gig economy workers from DoorDash and other platforms for one hilariously simple task: closing car doors that customers leave open.
That's right, folks. After billions in investment and years of promises about revolutionary AI technology, these high-tech vehicles are literally paralyzed by an open door. The robotaxis sit helplessly on the street until a human shows up to perform this complex maneuver that most five-year-olds can master.
This latest admission of failure exposes the massive gap between Big Tech's grandiose promises and cold reality. While Silicon Valley elites lecture Americans about embracing the future of transportation, their own technology can't handle basic human behavior like forgetting to close a door.
The Real Cost of Tech Hubris
What does this mean for everyday Americans? It reveals how disconnected these tech giants are from practical solutions. Instead of admitting their technology isn't ready for prime time, Waymo doubles down with an expensive band-aid solution that creates more gig economy dependency.
The irony is rich: a company promising to eliminate human drivers from the equation now depends on human workers to keep their vehicles functional. This isn't innovation – it's a expensive admission that artificial intelligence still can't match human common sense.
Under President Trump's America First agenda, perhaps it's time to question whether we should be subsidizing these Silicon Valley pipe dreams while real transportation infrastructure needs attention. Why are we celebrating technology that creates more problems than it solves?
The next time tech billionaires promise their latest gadget will revolutionize your life, remember Waymo's door-closing crisis. Sometimes the simplest human tasks expose the biggest lies about our automated future.
What's next – hiring people to buckle seatbelts for the robots too?