Waymo, the self-driving car brigade that’s already stirred up some spirited debates in San Francisco, is taking its game to the South Bay. That’s right, folks, our beloved Silicon Valley just got another upgrade on its tech playlist! This week, the autonomous vehicle company announced plans to expand its operations into nearly all of San Jose - yes, even your neighborhood, so put your sunglasses on, folks.

Thanks to the California Department of Motor Vehicles cheerfully waving their approval flag, Waymo is set to roll out its fully autonomous operations in the South Bay. Don’t get too excited just yet, though; the general public won’t have access immediately. For now, Waymo is cozying up with local officials and emergency responders to ensure they don’t send their cars zooming into a fire truck anytime soon. Just saying.

San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan is practically on cloud nine. He celebrated the news on X (formerly Twitter), declaring Waymo the embodiment of the region’s innovation spirit. The company recently snagged a cool $5.6 billion in funding, thanks to Alphabet, Google’s parent company, and some venture capital heavyweights. Apparently, throwing cash like confetti is the new black in the Bay Area.

Now, if you’re reminiscing about the chaos that ensued when Waymo’s robotaxis took over San Francisco’s streets (remember the traffic standstill due to stray self-driving cars?), fear not! San Francisco’s officials have been mighty skeptical of these futuristic machines after a string of mishaps, including a not-so-great incident where a woman was dragged by a robotaxi. Yup, that’s a ‘hard pass’ on those rides right now.

Meanwhile, across San Mateo County, where the county leaders previously raised alarms over Waymo’s antics, things have calmed down a bit. Numerous meetings have happened, and according to Board of Supervisors President David Canepa, they seem to be on the same page now. Canepa has even enjoyed a ride himself, though he’s still keeping a close eye on safety issues.

Waymo has also hinted at mapping out San Francisco International Airport, but don’t expect to hop in a robotaxi there just yet. They’re just getting the lay of the land. It’s all about the prep work, right? So, while we’re all ready to embrace our new robot overlords, it seems we’ll need to wait a little longer before we’re cruising around in style.

Long story short: Waymo is gearing up in San Jose, and it looks like our robotaxi dreams might just come true, eventually. For now, let’s keep our robot clash stories in San Francisco for kicks.