I think what most people are missing is that self driving cars are not a disruptive innovation. All the major car markers are going to get to fully self driving

I think what most people are missing is that self driving cars are not a disruptive innovation. All the major car markers are going to get to fully self driving cars through incremental improvements and they'll get their faster than Google because they already have actual customers who are willing to pay more for the technology. Tesla/Mercedes/etc. don't have to worry about this project being shelved or not getting the attention it deserves because of a lack of a path to profitability. Just because Google talks big doesn't mean the other car makers are stupid idiots who can't see a technology trend coming from a mile away.