[doctoboggan]

> I don't see an obvious way for Waymo to get enshittified.

Oh ye of little faith! Here are some ideas off the top of my head, I am sure the suits at Google already have a bigger list.

  * Ads in vehicle 
  * Adjust route so you see partner companies or billboards
  * Offering alternative destinations (I see you are going to Burger King, would you rather go to our partner McDonalds?)
  * Listening to conversations in car
  * Selling ride data.

[everforward]

The ads will be awful, because you’re effectively captive. You only control the volume and screen if they let you.

[philipwhiuk]

Finally, a justification for owning an Apple Vision Pro.

[crazygringo]

Ads in vehicles are a sure thing. Also a sure thing you'll be able to pay a little extra to turn them off, which is basically just the full price of the trip unsubsidized by ads.

It'll be up to you, just like whether you want your Netflix cheaper with ads, or more expensive but without.

I see that choice as a good thing.

The rest of your suggestions are incredibly unlikely. Google doesn't even scan your Gmail anymore, you think they're going to create a privacy scandal by listening to your conversations? And they certainly don't sell your Maps timeline which is far more valuable than just a few car trips, so why on earth would they do that with Waymo? Nor does Google Maps offer to send you to Burger King when you hit directions for McDonald's. And taking a longer route that wastes time, battery and money, on the chance you'll be looking out the window to see a billboard rather than looking at your phone, doesn't make sense at all.

[jezzamon]

There's all that, but you can just look at Uber for the classic model of how a company like this enshittifies, which is:

- offer a service well below market rate, gain dependent customers

- crank up the price

No need to do much of the other stuff

[sib]

Don't forget:

* Stop doing any meaningful in-person inspection of the vehicle to ensure that it is in good condition before joining the network

* Stop requiring cars to be <= 4 years old

* (Seemingly) stop requiring drivers to maintain trunk space free for passengers' luggage

[dotBen]

They already will be selling your ride data and there is no way they could monitor conversations in the car for commercial purposes (at least in Western countries).

Ads in cars, partnerships with alternative destinations, etc. definitely would feel like enshitification for a demographic comparable to the hacker news one here. But these are all per session/user settings just like most of us have a paid Spotify account and never see advertising and those who don't get a very different monetized experience.

What is exciting about monetization like this is the possibility for rides to become very cheap or even free. If my dentist offers free rides to the office in return for my loyalty, I'm quite happy to take that.

[crazygringo]

> If my dentist offers free rides to the office in return for my loyalty, I'm quite happy to take that.

That's actually a really interesting angle. The same way businesses often provide free parking now... what if they start providing free self-driving round trips?

E.g. spend $75 or more at Whole Foods, and get free round-trip up to 20 miles or something. Especially for bulky items like groceries where a car makes a big difference, I can totally see that becoming standard. Home Depot too. Plus entertainment like amusement parks, movie theaters, spas...

[GuinansEyebrows]

> there is no way they could monitor conversations in the car for commercial purposes (at least in Western countries)

people used to feel that way about search queries, email (gmail) and IP laws (LLM training).

> What is exciting about monetization like this is the possibility for rides to become very cheap or even free. If my dentist offers free rides to the office in return for my loyalty, I'm quite happy to take that.

this won't happen. alphabet will collect on both ends.

[lotsofpulp]

> and there is no way they could monitor conversations in the car for commercial purposes (at least in Western countries).

Why not? You can consent to having your audio recorded. They can even offer a higher “private” price and a lower “ad supported” price. I write “private” because I assume the microphones will always be listening no matter which price you pay.

[lokar]

https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/google-voice-assistant-laws...

[jafo1989]

> there is no way they could monitor conversations in the car for commercial purposes (at least in Western countries)

Oh, you'll agree to that when you accept the terms of service.

Can't wait for the "This ride with ads: $17. Ad free: $26" choice.

[tapoxi]

Couldn't Uber do that today?

[notyourwork]

You really think ads in vehicle are not coming? You’re being naive if you think that.

Also, cheap rides cut into stocks margins. That won’t fly by investors either. These companies are not charities. They are in the business of maximizing profits. We lost “don’t be evil” over a decade ago.