#147 – Dmitri Dolgov: Waymo and the Future of Self-Driving Cars

About this episode

<p>Dmitri Dolgov is the CTO of Waymo, an autonomous vehicle company. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:<br /> &#8211; <b>Tryolabs</b>: <a href="https://tryolabs.com/lex">https://tryolabs.com/lex</a><br /> &#8211; <b>Blinkist</b>: <a href="https://blinkist.com/lex">https://blinkist.com/lex</a> and use code LEX to get 25% off premium<br /> &#8211; <b>BetterHelp</b>: <a href="https://betterhelp.com/lex">https://betterhelp.com/lex</a> to get 10% off<br /> &#8211; <b>Cash App</b>: <a href="https://cash.app/">https://cash.app/</a> and use code LexPodcast to get $10</p> <p><b>EPISODE LINKS:</b><br /> Waymo&#8217;s Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/waymo">https://twitter.com/waymo</a><br /> Waymo&#8217;s Website: <a href="https://waymo.com">https://waymo.com</a></p> <p><b>PODCAST INFO:</b><br /> Podcast website: <a href="https://lexfridman.com/podcast">https://lexfridman.com/podcast</a><br /> Apple Podcasts: <a href="https://apple.co/2lwqZIr">https://apple.co/2lwqZIr</a><br /> Spotify: <a href="https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8">https://spoti.fi/2nEwCF8</a><br /> RSS: <a href="https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/">https://lexfridman.com/feed/podcast/</a><br /> YouTube Full Episodes: <a href="https://youtube.com/lexfridman">https://youtube.com/lexfridman</a><br /> YouTube Clips: <a href="https://youtube.com/lexclips">https://youtube.com/lexclips</a></p> <p><b>SUPPORT &#38; CONNECT:</b><br /> &#8211; Check out the sponsors above, it&#8217;s the best way to support this podcast<br /> &#8211; Support on Patreon: <a href="https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman">https://www.patreon.com/lexfridman</a><br /> &#8211; Twitter: <a href="https://twitter.com/lexfridman">https://twitter.com/lexfridman</a><br /> &#8211; Instagram: <a href="https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman">https://www.instagram.com/lexfridman</a><br /> &#8211; LinkedIn: <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman">https://www.linkedin.com/in/lexfridman</a><br /> &#8211; Facebook: <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LexFridmanPage">https://www.facebook.com/LexFridmanPage</a><br /> &#8211; Medium: <a href="https://medium.com/@lexfridman">https://medium.com/@lexfridman</a></p> <p><b>OUTLINE:</b><br /> Here&#8217;s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.<br /> (00:00) &#8211; Introduction<br /> (07:46) &#8211; Computer games<br /> (12:52) &#8211; Childhood<br /> (15:24) &#8211; Robotics<br /> (16:14) &#8211; Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology<br /> (18:26) &#8211; DARPA Urban Challenge<br /> (28:46) &#8211; Waymo origin story<br /> (44:27) &#8211; Waymo self-driving hardware<br /> (53:00) &#8211; Connected cars<br /> (58:53) &#8211; Waymo fully driverless service in Phoenix<br /> (1:03:14) &#8211; Getting feedback from riders<br /> (1:11:28) &#8211; Creating a product that people love<br /> (1:17:18) &#8211; Do self-driving cars need to break the rules like humans do?<br /> (1:24:03) &#8211; Waymo Trucks<br /> (1:29:41) &#8211; Future of Waymo<br /> (1:42:53) &#8211; Role of lidar in autonomous driving<br /> (1:55:53) &#8211; Machine learning is essential for autonomous driving<br /> (1:59:55) &#8211; Pedestrians<br /> (2:06:32) &#8211; Trolley problem<br /> (2:11:00) &#8211; Book recommendations<br /> (2:22:26) &#8211; Meaning of life</p>