The company struck an upbeat tone when describing the fact that the new facility would be opened in a city, acknowledging that “the auto industry is synonymous with Michigan” and even pointing out that the region has “excellent snowy conditions” to test the vehicles, as well. The company claimed that they are currently in search of engineers, operations experts, and fleet coordinators, as well.
Ultimate Decision
Waymo was searching all over the country for the facility’s location. For those that are unaware, the company is still headquartered in Mountain View, California, despite the fact that it is now its own standalone Alphabet subsidiary (it was a Google project in its infancy). MEDC CEO Jeff Mason pointed out that Waymo had other options, stating: “The company really could have gone anywhere,” he said. “This is another great example of a company from the West coast really seeing the advantages Michigan has to integrate both engineering and manufacturing, find high-tech talent and where the company can grow and prosper.”
