Elon Musk has called rival Waymo’s autonomous vehicles “pet destroyers,” criticizing the company’s record of animal collisions while promoting Tesla’s own robotaxi ambitions.
The Tesla chief made the remarks during a livestreamed interview with Tesla Owners of Silicon Valley, where he alleged that Waymo vehicles had struck a significant number of 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.”
The comments come as Tesla and Waymo compete to expand their autonomous taxi networks, while questions about self-driving safety continue to challenge the industry.
Musk said Tesla was working to make its robotaxis better at identifying animals in difficult conditions, particularly at night, when small pets may be hard to distinguish from 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.”
Musk said Tesla had resolved the issue and planned to release a software update, but he did not give a timetable or provide data demonstrating how accurately the system can detect animals and avoid collisions.
Waymo has previously faced scrutiny over animal strikes, including the death of KitKat, a much-loved cat that had become a familiar presence at Randa’s Market in San Francisco’s Mission District.
Elon Musk has called rival Waymo’s driverless cars “pet destroyers” while promoting Tesla’s Cybercabs and criticizing the company’s record of animal collisions
Waymo and Tesla’s Cybercabs are seeking to expand their autonomous taxi services beyond their main hub in San Francisco
The billionaire said Tesla was developing technology to help its robotaxis detect animals in challenging conditions, especially at night when small pets can blend into dark roads
The cat was hit by a Waymo robotaxi on October 27, 2025, and died later that night, prompting an outpouring of grief from local residents who knew him as the “mayor of 16th Street.”
Waymo initially said KitKat had darted beneath the vehicle as it pulled away after stopping to collect passengers.
However, surveillance footage published by The New York Times in December showed the moments leading up to the collision and prompted new questions about what the vehicle was able to detect.
The video showed a bystander crouching near the front of the robotaxi and trying to coax KitKat away from its tire. The cat moved farther beneath the vehicle before the Waymo pulled away, striking him.
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Several weeks after KitKat’s death, another Waymo vehicle struck a small dog that was loose in San Francisco’s Western Addition neighborhood.
The incident occurred at about 8 p.m. on November 30, 2025, near the intersection of Scott and Eddy streets.
Waymo confirmed that its vehicle had collided with the dog while the animal was in the road.
The dog suffered severe pelvic trauma and was later euthanized by its family, according to KRON4.
A Waymo robotaxi struck KitKat on October 27, 2025, after a bystander tried to lure the cat away from the vehicle’s tires
The beloved cat had become a fixture at Randa’s Market in San Francisco’s Mission District
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.