In early June 2025, a TikTok user named Matt Shaver posted a video introducing himself as the CEO of autonomous- vehicle company Waymo and delivering a corporate message about the ongoing protests in Los Angeles. In the video, he stated:
Waymo will be offering free rides to all immigrants attending the riots — protests — in LA. All that's required is a minimum 700 credit score and a debit card-enabled smartphone.
The video, which also claimed Waymo's cars were "fluent in both English and Mexican," had been viewed more than 380,000 times as of this writing. The caption included hashtags such as #parody, #satire, and #comedy, but not all viewers picked up on the joke.
Variations of the clip circulated on other social media platforms, including X and Facebook, where it was shared without context, leading some users to wonder whether it was a legitimate corporate statement.
There is no evidence that either of Waymo's actual co-CEOs, Tekedra Mawakana or Dmitri Dolgov, made any such statement.
In reality, the video was not a real corporate message but a piece of satire. Shaver's TikTok bio identifies him as a satirist and content creator focused on parody.
The timing of the video — posted amid real protests in Los Angeles following immigration enforcement — likely contributed to its misinterpretation. Waymo vehicles have been set on fire during the demonstrations, but Waymo officials have not made any statements about free rides.
Snopes previously debunked another claim involving Shaver — a satirical video falsely claiming Spirit Halloween stores were selling "Never Forget" 9/11 family costumes.
For background, here is why we alert readers to rumors created by sources that call their output humorous or satirical.