Waymo is cutting back robotaxi service ahead of nationwide “No Kings” protests against Trump.
The Alphabet-owned company confirmed limited operations Friday to Wired. Service changes hit San Francisco, Austin, Atlanta, and Phoenix. Los Angeles is fully paused. No timeline on when normal service will return.
Last weekend, five Waymo vehicles were set on fire and spray painted in LA during immigration crackdown protests. That sparked a downtown LA shutdown. 
The vehicles may be targeted because protestors see them as surveillance tools. Police have requested Waymo footage before. The company says it pushes back on broad or weak legal requests.
San Francisco’s fire chief warned officials Wednesday that during civil unrest, fires won’t be put out unless near buildings.
“in a period of civil unrest, we will not try to extinguish those fires unless they are up against a building.”
— San Francisco Fire Chief, according to San Francisco Chronicle
