Elon Musk calls Waymo robotaxis ‘pet destroyers’ and claims Tesla’s Cybercab has solved the problem

DAILYMAIL.COM • 44m ago

By SARA MCGIFF, US REAL ESTATE & CONSUMER REPORTER Updated: 05:15 15 Oct 2026

Elon Musk has branded rival Waymo’s driverless cars ‘pet destroyers’ as the billionaire takes aim at the company’s record of animal collisions while promoting Tesla’s own robotaxi technology.

The Tesla CEO made the comments during a livestreamed interview with Tesla Owners of Silicon Valley, claiming Waymo vehicles had run over numerous animals.

‘Maybe what a lot of people don’t know is that Waymos are like pet destroyers,’ Musk said. ‘Maybe Waymo has made some improvements on that front, but they do run over a lot of pets, and we don’t want to run over the pets.’

Musk’s comments come as the two companies compete to expand their autonomous taxi services, with safety concerns continuing to dog the industry.

The billionaire said Tesla was working to ensure its robotaxis could detect animals in difficult driving conditions, particularly at night when small pets can be difficult to spot against dark roads.

‘We have these challenges of literally like: gray kittens on a gray tarmac with tar seams at night in low visibility,’ he said. ‘And it’s like, “Can we not run over the kittens,” type of thing,’ he said.

Musk claimed Tesla had solved the problem and said the company would deploy an update, although he did not provide a timeline or data showing how effectively the technology could detect animals and prevent collisions.

Waymo has faced criticism in the past over animal collisions, most notably after the death of KitKat, a beloved cat who had become a fixture at Randa’s Market in San Francisco’s Mission District.

Andy Burnham's ties to Man City's disgraced Emirati owner: GUY ADAMS521 viewing now Elon Musk has branded rival Waymo’s driverless cars ‘pet destroyers’ as the billionaire takes aim at the company’s record of animal collisions over his own Cybercabs Waymos and Cybercabs are aiming to expand their services outside of its main hub, San Francisco The billionaire said Tesla was working to ensure its robotaxis could detect animals in difficult driving conditions, particularly at night when small pets can be difficult to spot against dark roadsThe cat was struck by a Waymo robotaxi on October 27, 2025, and died later that night, sparking an outpouring of grief from locals who knew him as the ‘mayor of 16th Street.’

Waymo had initially claimed the cat darted underneath the vehicle as it was pulling away after stopping to pick up passengers.

But in December, The New York Times published surveillance footage showing the moments before the collision, raising fresh questions about what the car could detect.

The footage showed a bystander crouching near the front of the vehicle in an attempt to coax KitKat away from its tire. The cat then moved further underneath the car before the Waymo pulled away, running him over.

Weeks after KitKat’s death, another Waymo struck a small, unleashed dog in San Francisco’s Western Addition neighborhood.

The collision happened around 8pm on November 30, 2025, near the intersection of Scott and Eddy streets.

Waymo confirmed that its vehicle had made contact with the dog while it was in the roadway.

According to KRON4, the dog suffered severe pelvic trauma and was later put down by its family.

According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Waymo reported at least nine crashes involving animals between July 2025 and July 2026, six of which the company described as involving domestic animals.

Tesla also reported an animal collision during the same period, although it involved a supervised robotaxi.

The comparison comes with caveats. Tesla operated a smaller fleet, with most of its unsupervised robotaxi operations concentrated in Austin, while differences in fleet size and operating conditions make direct comparisons difficult.

During the livestream, Musk also discussed Tesla’s plans to expand into additional cities, saying the company was checking for potentially dangerous or confusing intersections before launching services.

He said particular attention would be paid to railroad crossings.

‘Before we go to a new city, we want to make sure that there’s not some intersection that’s problematic or risky,’ Musk said.

‘We want to be particularly careful with railroad crossings.’

Musk added that unfamiliar or confusing intersections could lead to mistakes by human drivers as well, and said Tesla wanted its robotaxis to navigate such locations safely or avoid them when first entering a new market.

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