Fifteen years ago, Google made a big bet that future cars will drive themselves. Now, billions of dollars later, that bet may finally be paying off. Waymo, Alphabet's driverless car company, has hit the accelerator in recent years as its technology has evolved, and its rivals have stumbled. On episode one of our special series on the growing driverless car industry, host Danny Lewis explores the roots of this technology and how Waymo took the lead in the race to a driverless future.

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Further reading:

How San Francisco Learned to Love Self-Driving Cars

GM’s Self-Driving Car Unit Skids Off Course

Self-Driving Cars Enter the Next Frontier: Freeways

All Hail Phoenix: America’s King of the Robo-Taxi

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Driverless: Waymo and the Robotaxi Race—Waymo Takes the Lead 22:40 Share

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Driverless: Waymo and the Robotaxi Race—Waymo Takes the Lead