Elon Musk Calls Waymo Vehicles Pet Destroyers Over Animal Crashes

Elon Musk labeled Waymo vehicles "pet destroyers" during a livestreamed interview with the Tesla Owners of Silicon Valley on Saturday. He claimed that Waymo has a history of animal collisions and asserted that Tesla Robotaxi has developed a solution to detect roaming pets at night, particularly in low-visibility conditions. Musk announced that Tesla will deploy an update to address these specific safety challenges.

Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration supports a higher frequency of animal-related incidents for Waymo, which reported at least nine crashes involving animals between July 2025 and July 2026, including six domestic animals. In contrast, Tesla reported one animal collision during the same period, though that vehicle was under human supervision. Waymo did not respond to requests for comment regarding the allegations.