We absolutely test code in production all the time. We test it as much as we can in test environments, but users, like real life, have a knack of doing things we just don’t expect. Phoenix and SF are effectively the limited beta test for Waymo. It has to be real world tested at some point. No test environment will ever fully mimic production.
Releasing betas is common and acceptable for non safety critical applications. There are international standards for equipment under control of software which poses a threat to our safety (IEC61508), hence why this is not allowed in many other coutries.
Of course, we don’t release airplanes with software in beta, and they are statistically far less dangerous than cars. Yet cars also pose a threat to people around them who did not consent to be part of it.
We shouldn’t test code in production, so why are we testing safety critical systems around people who could be fatally injured by cars?
We absolutely test code in production all the time. We test it as much as we can in test environments, but users, like real life, have a knack of doing things we just don’t expect. Phoenix and SF are effectively the limited beta test for Waymo. It has to be real world tested at some point. No test environment will ever fully mimic production.
Releasing betas is common and acceptable for non safety critical applications. There are international standards for equipment under control of software which poses a threat to our safety (IEC61508), hence why this is not allowed in many other coutries.
Of course, we don’t release airplanes with software in beta, and they are statistically far less dangerous than cars. Yet cars also pose a threat to people around them who did not consent to be part of it.