Startup CEOs Step In To Help After Self-Driving Car Crashes, Internet Finds It 'Ironic'

A Waymo self-driving car collided with a trolleybus in San Francisco, just as several CEOs were leaving a startup afterparty. The group of tech founders, attending Y Combinator’s founder’s retreat, jumped in to help the AI-driven vehicle after the accident. A video showing the CEOs trying to move the car has since gone viral on social media.

The incident was shared by Freddy Vega, a Brazilian CEO. He posted on X (formerly Twitter), “A Waymo car driven by AI crashed with a Muni bus driven by a human in San Francisco. Right in front of YC’s founder after party. So here’s a bunch of CEOs trying to help a helpless robot find his way again.”

The one-minute clip shows several men gathered around the car, attempting to push it out of the way. Despite their efforts, the AI-powered car remained stuck, with its lights flashing but unable to move. Vega humorously dubbed the scene “founder mode,” a reference to the proactive, problem-solving mentality that startup founders often take on.

Waymo, formerly known as the Google Self-Driving Car Project, is a pioneer in the development of autonomous driving technology. Launched in 2009 as a division under Alphabet Inc., Google’s parent company, Waymo has led the charge in creating self-driving vehicles designed to navigate public roads without human intervention. The company aims to make transportation safer, easier, and more accessible by harnessing advanced AI systems, radar, lidar sensors and cameras to allow vehicles to “see” and respond to their surroundings.

“The irony is that we are all coming from an AI retreat, discussing the future of automation,” Vega said in his video. “And here’s this AI totally stuck, blocking a lot of traffic.” Despite multiple attempts, the car’s battery eventually died.

Fortunately, the bus was able to move from the scene, leaving the self-driving vehicle behind.

When asked how the experience was, one of the founders joked that it was a struggle but that “founder mode” ultimately helped get them through.

The video has sparked humorous reactions online.

A user commented, “No investors were harmed during this intervention.”

Another wrote, “imagine if they all got off the road and out from in front of the car?”

“Once the uprising begins, these founders will be spared,” a comment read.

Someone said, “A bunch of people trying to help out for once, I love it.”

The clip has been viewed nearly 4.4 lakh times since being posted.