It was the original article which made that claim, not me. However I think that two firms being given a license to operate in one specific city (which they've likely been testing in for a while) is not as enormous as you think it might be.
I think we can say that they're "here" when they're operating fully autonomously in multiple locales and landscapes. Maybe you're in SF so that Waymo/Cruise news means a lot to you, but I'll only say that once these firms are safely navigating narrow, winding streets in old European city centres that I am used to. I suspect if folks in, say, Accra or Tokyo or Montevideo or Islamabad or any number of other cities might feel the same way.
I think we can say that they're "here" when they're operating fully autonomously in multiple locales and landscapes. Maybe you're in SF so that Waymo/Cruise news means a lot to you, but I'll only say that once these firms are safely navigating narrow, winding streets in old European city centres that I am used to. I suspect if folks in, say, Accra or Tokyo or Montevideo or Islamabad or any number of other cities might feel the same way.