San Francisco’s tech landscape just got a whole lot spicier as Waymo throws in the towel on downtown operations during escalating anti-ICE demonstrations.

The autonomous vehicle company decided to play it safe, rerouting its entire fleet away from potential protest zones after some seriously dramatic scenes unfolded in Los Angeles. Picture this: multiple Waymo cars literally going up in flames during heated immigration enforcement protests.

A City on Edge

Things got real when protesters spray-painted a Waymo with “F–k ICE” and “Ppl over profit” messages, signaling mounting tensions around immigration enforcement. The city saw hundreds gathering outside ICE headquarters, leading to 154 arrests and a serious urban showdown.

Tech Meets Activism

Waymo’s response? Total strategic retreat. The company’s app started marking massive downtown areas as “Unreachable,” including key BART stations like Embarcadero and Montgomery Street. Riders found themselves taking circuitous routes that could extend travel times by nearly an hour.

Silicon Valley’s Latest Drama

While Waymo claims they weren’t specifically targeted, the optics are clear: autonomous vehicles are now unwittingly caught in the crossfire of political demonstrations. The company remains in “abundance of caution” mode, coordinating closely with local law enforcement across its active markets.

Just another day in the Bay Area’s never-a-dull-moment tech ecosystem.