Food delivery drivers are getting paid to close the doors of Waymo's self-driving cars

Waymo , which started as Google's self-driving car development division, has been found to be paying food delivery workers who close the doors of its self-driving cars.

Waymo is paying DoorDash gig workers to close its robotaxi doors
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/02/12/waymo-is-paying-doordash-gig-workers-to-close-its-robotaxi-doors.html

DoorDash drivers are getting paid to close Waymo car doors | Mashable
https://mashable.com/article/waymo-paying-doordash-gig-workers-to-close-self-driving-car-doors

A DoorDash food delivery driver posted a screenshot on Reddit titled 'The Craziest Offer,' offering to close the door of a Waymo self-driving car estimated to be nine minutes away from the driver's current location in exchange for $11.25 (approximately 1700 yen).

Alphabet, Waymo's parent company, told CNBC that it is currently testing self-driving cars in Atlanta, USA, and that since there is no driver on board, there is no way to fix a door that is stuck in the car, so it asks a DoorDash driver to close the door. When a Waymo vehicle requests assistance with closing a door, a nearby DoorDash driver is notified, and once the door is fixed, the vehicle can return to the road.

Waymo has said that in the future, Waymo cars will have self-closing doors, but it's unclear when this will happen.

In Atlanta, DoorDash drivers are paid to fix ajar Waymo car doors, while in Los Angeles, the job is assigned to Honk users, a service that provides roadside assistance for Waymo vehicles. According to a Washington Post report , Honk users are earning up to $24 (approximately 3700 yen) just for fixing ajar Waymo car doors.