Welcome back to TechCrunch Mobility, your hub for the future of transportation. A recent congressional hearing criticized Waymo for using remote assistance workers in the Philippines. However, remote assistance is an industry-wide issue for autonomous vehicles. Senator Ed Markey investigated seven AV companies, including Aurora, Tesla, and Zoox, asking how often they use remote help. All refused to answer, which Markey called a stunning lack of transparency. Tesla notably admitted its remote workers can temporarily assume direct vehicle control.
This issue is not going away. Markey is now pushing for a federal investigation and legislation to regulate remote operators.
In other news, Uber is buying luxury chauffeur service Blacklane. Drone delivery startup Manna raised $50 million. Autonomous ship developer Saronic raised $1.75 billion. Also, a Rivian spinoff, is partnering with DoorDash on autonomous delivery vehicles.
Additional tidbits: Baidu robotaxis stalled in China. GM is testing its next-gen Super Cruise. Lucid recalled Gravity SUVs over seat belts. Traffic deaths fell in 2025. Waymo launched service at San Antonio International Airport. Tesla ended Model S and X production, focusing on self-driving technology.