Waymo is letting you tip — but there’s a catch

A security researcher who lives in San Francisco discovered an unreleased feature in Waymo’s app that allows customers to tip for their robotaxi rides.

But before you get indignant about greedy tech companies suckering customers into blithely handing their hard-earned cash over to robots, it appears that the new function is just a roundabout way to solicit charity donations. Wong posted another screenshot in which customers are asked to select a charity from a dropdown menu.

Wong told The Verge that she discovered the new feature while poking around inside Waymo’s Android app and “reverse engineering it.” She theorizes that it may be a wholesome prank, perhaps getting ready for April Fools Day.

“It’s for charity — so I think it’s great!” she added. “Maybe after Apr 1, they could consider incorporating the charity feature permanently, like rounding up for donation.”

Others saw ulterior motives, with one X user noting that Waymo likely receives tax breaks from the government for collecting a certain amount of charitable donations. Some wondered whether asking for a “tip” for a self-driving car would backfire and cast a negative light on Waymo. After all, eliminating the need to tip a human driver has always been among the selling points for robotaxis.

Chris Bonelli, a spokesperson for Waymo, declined to comment.

Update January 28th: Updated to include Waymo declined to comment.