A post on Reddit has people questioning just how autonomous self-driving cars really are.
One DoorDash driver claims the app offered them paid work to simply close an open door on a parked Waymo vehicle. No food, no customer, just a short trip to help a robot car get moving again.
The delivery driver described the job on Reddit under the title "Craziest Offer."
The post included a screenshot of the DoorDash app with an estimated 0.7-mile trip. It promised $6.25 guaranteed, plus $5 after "verified completion." u/MarzipanPristine8104 questioned whether the offer was legitimate and if other drivers had seen anything like it before.
The task description looked simple enough, saying, "Close a Waymo door. No pickup or delivery required."
While it was unusual, the job fit a narrow problem, according to fellow Dashers in the comments.
In a joint statement to 404 Media, Waymo and DoorDash confirmed the arrangement, framing it as a way to keep Waymo vehicles on the road. They did not explain who paid or whether tips applied.
"Waymo is currently running a pilot program in Atlanta to enhance its AV fleet efficiency. In the rare event a vehicle door is left ajar, preventing the car from departing, nearby Dashers are notified, allowing Waymo to get its vehicles back on the road quickly," said the company.
"DoorDash is always looking for new and flexible ways for Dashers to earn, and this pilot offers Dashers an opportunity to make the most of their time online. Waymo's future vehicle platforms will have automated door closures."
Reactions: jokes, skepticism, and gig-worker frustration
Commenters, while interested in the concept of potentially easy money to close doors, debated who paid for the fix.
u/InsanelyAverageFella asked, "I wonder if they charge the passenger for this? If not, please everyone keep your Waymo doors open to create more of these offers for drivers. This is amazing and we need more of these!"
Others leaned into wordplay. On Twitter, @_kentw wrote, "Really putting the 'Door' in DoorDash." Likewise, u/ob630 joked, "You actually 'door' dashed 😲"
u/lendmeflight added, "Wow! I thought all these non-tippers were saying Waymo would take our jobs. The idiot customers can’t even close the door and they have to pay a dasher 11 bucks to go close it."
Meanwhile, u/Top-Stick-3419 complained, "They’d rlly rather just throw money into a void than pay human beings."
Others shared similar odd job experiences while working as Dashers. u/Major_Frosting6133 recalled a winter order that only required shelf photos at CVS. However, u/ArtiseisDEFiant questioned the reliability of the offer. "What if someone just closes it while you’re on the way," they asked, imagining support replying, "NVM!! Here’s $2."
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