Tesla Robotaxi Saves Passengers from Waymo Vehicle: Vision vs LIDAR Showdown | Taha Abbasi

A Tesla robotaxi in Austin deployed Collision Avoidance Assist to save passengers from an approaching Waymo vehicle, and Taha Abbasi breaks down what this viral video reveals about two fundamentally different self-driving approaches.

The Incident

Shared by @Tslachan on X, the video shows a Tesla robotaxi detecting a potential collision with a Waymo vehicle and taking evasive action — all without human intervention. The irony: Tesla’s vision-only system protected passengers from an incident involving Waymo’s LIDAR-equipped vehicle. As Taha Abbasi notes, this challenges the narrative that LIDAR systems are inherently safer.

Vision-Only vs LIDAR: The Philosophical Divide

Waymo uses LIDAR, radar, and cameras — costing tens of thousands per vehicle. Tesla uses cameras only, relying on neural networks trained on billions of miles. Taha Abbasi has argued the long-term advantage belongs to vision-only: cameras are cheap, scalable, and capture the same information humans use. If neural networks interpret it as well as humans, additional sensors become unnecessary overhead.

Austin: The Real-World Crucible

Both Tesla and Waymo operate robotaxis in Austin, giving residents a front-row seat. Tesla’s approach allows rapid scaling (every Tesla collects training data) while Waymo requires expensive per-vehicle sensors and pre-mapped areas. Tesla’s Collision Avoidance works everywhere — downtown Austin or rural Montana. Waymo only operates in carefully mapped zones.

Context and Data

Recent data shows Tesla robotaxis with crash rates roughly 4x higher than humans — alarming until you examine details. Many incidents are minor, low-speed, and often involve other vehicles hitting the Tesla. As Taha Abbasi emphasizes, early autonomous data must be evaluated carefully, not sensationalized. Both companies are pushing boundaries. This incident proves autonomous vehicles already handle complex scenarios challenging many human drivers.

Sources: @Tslachan on X

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About the Author: Taha Abbasi is a technology executive, CTO, and applied frontier tech builder. Read more on Grokpedia | YouTube: The Brown Cowboy | tahaabbasi.com