An Exploratory Study on the Advent of AI Technology Concerning Self-Driven Automobiles: Emphasis On the Economic Implications of Tesla and Waymo Companies on the US Economy
Abstract
Tesla and Waymo are two different models in the automotive space. Both of them work towards increasing safety processes on the road. Waymo operates via robotaxis, while Tesla works through the conventional way of selling vehicles, but has now entered the robotaxi space. Tesla earns far more profits, despite being an older company, but Waymo has started earning profits in the limited time it has been in existence. These are capital-intensive products, and the use of AI has made them more reliable in terms of their safety. This paper examines the impact of self-driven technology on employment potential and GDP, as well as its implications for sales revenue and employment in the automotive industries of Waymo and Tesla. In particular, it explores how self-driven technology may influence the employment landscape in the US economy. How does it affect the macroeconomic indicators like GDP and immigration policies of the country? What potential does this AI technology hold for automobile companies like Tesla and Waymo? The paper offers a close insight into the profits, sales, revenue, and employment of these companies. These and many such questions will be addressed throughout the paper.
References
Automated Vehicles for Safety | NHTSA. (n.d.). NHTSA. https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle-safety/automated-vehicles-safety.
Cain, T., & Cain, T. (2023, September 8). Tesla sales figures - US Market | GCBC. GCBC. https://www.goodcarbadcar.net/tesla-us-sales-figures/.
Cole & Rachel. (2025, March 4). Autonomous vehicle | Definition, History, & Facts. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/technology/autonomous-vehicle.
Herger, V. A. P. B. M. (2024, August 2). Costs of Waymo rides. The Last Driver License Holder. . . Retrieved March 30, 2025, from https://thelastdriverlicenseholder.com/2024/08/01/costs-of-waymo-rides/.
Kolodny, L., & Elias, J. (2025, January 2). Waymo dominated the U.S. robotaxi market in 2024, but Tesla and Amazon’s Zoox loom. CNBC. Retrieved March 30, 2025, from https://www.cnbc.com/2024/12/26/waymo-dominated-us-robotaxi-market-in-2024-but-tesla-zoox-loom.html.
Lu, Y. (2024, November 5). Waymo’s had a quiet—but—huge increase in ridership. Sherwood News. https://sherwood.news/tech/waymo-rides-massive-yearly-increase/.
Moteria, D. (2025, March 28). Uber business model – Know how Uber works and revenue insights. Elluminati Inc. Retrieved March 30, 2025, from https://www.elluminatiinc.com/uber-business-model/.
Roadtoautonomy. (2024, December 21). The Road to Autonomy Index®. The Road to Autonomy. Retrieved March 30, 2025, from https://www.roadtoautonomy.com/index/.
Saha, D. (n.d.). Navigating the EV Transition: 4 Emerging Impacts on Auto Manufacturing Jobs. World Resources Institute. https://www.wri.org/insights/ev-transition-auto-manufacturing-jobs.
Self-driving vehicles | US EPA. (2024, December 9). US EPA. Retrieved March 30, 2025, from https://www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/self-driving-vehicles.
Statista. (2025, February 11). Tesla employees' IPO to 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/314768/number-of-tesla-employees/.
Team, V. (2025, May 23). Tesla Company – Business Strategy Analysis. Vested Finance. https://vestedfinance.com/in/blog/tesla-strategy-analysis/#Three_reasons_why_Tesla_has_been_successful.
That’s a wrap! Waymo’s 2024 year in review. (n.d.). Waymo. Retrieved March 30, 2025, from https://waymo.com/blog/2024/12/year-in-review-2024#:~:text=We%20served%20over%204%20million,just%20sitting%20back%20to%20unwind.
The Road to Autonomy Index price, real-time quote & news - Google Finance. (n.d.-a). Google Finance. Retrieved March 30, 2025, from https://www.google.com/finance/quote/AUTONOMY:INDEXCME?window=YTD&comparison=NASDAQ%3ATSLA.
The Road to Autonomy Index price, real-time quote & news - Google Finance. (n.d.-b). Google Finance. Retrieved March 30, 2025, from https://www.google.com/finance/quote/AUTONOMY:INDEXCME?comparison=NASDAQ%3ATSLA&window=YTD.
Thomas, J. (2024, September 18). EV production significantly boosts auto jobs, defying predictions. Innovation News Network. https://www.innovationnewsnetwork.com/ev-production-significantly-boosts-auto-jobs-defying-predictions/51240/.
Waymo significantly outperforms comparable human benchmarks over 7+ million miles of rider-only driving. (n.d.). Waymo. Retrieved March 30, 2025, from https://waymo.com/blog/2023/12/waymo-significantly-outperforms-comparable-human-benchmarks-over-7-million.
Wikipedia contributors. (2025a, February 16). History of self-driving cars. Wikipedia. Retrieved March 30, 2025, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_self-driving_cars.
Wikipedia contributors. (2025b, May 26). Waymo. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waymo.
Yoganandhan, A., Subhash, S. D., Hebinson Jothi, J., & Mohanavel, V. (2020). Fundamentals and development of self-driving cars. Retrieved March 30, 2025, from https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2214785320333848.
Copyright (c) 2025 Natasha Bandil
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright for this article is retained by the author(s), with first publication rights granted to the journal. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
