AV perception · two headline names · 2026

Waymo maps 48 current profiles. Zoox maps 9 open jobs.
Mapped current versus mapped open jobs on the perception / VLM seat

As of August 26, 2026, 2:00 a.m. PT (8/26), Waymo maps 48 current perception / VLM profiles. Zoox, the AV company, maps 9 open jobs.

Report date 2026-08-26 Published by Metix AI Coverage 2 headline names · 87 mapped current · 36 mapped open jobs
Named list

Request the Waymo 48/27 + Zoox 39/9 mapped list

Headline 87 adds these two AV names only. Perception / VLM seats, not ride-count totals.

How The Perception Seat Is Built

How the perception seat compares: one Waymo bench, one Zoox bench

How it is built

This page reads the perception / VLM seat at Waymo and at Zoox, the AV company. 87 adds these two names only.

Who compares to whom

Waymo 48 versus 27, and 45 of 48 are US. Zoox maps 39 current against 9 open jobs.

What is open

Waymo maps 27 same-seat jobs. Zoox maps 9. Both books are still open.

Outside this slice

Ride counts are not read here, and Waabi is not in the table. A bare Zoox name can collide elsewhere; this page means Zoox, the AV company.

Waymo and Zoox as facing perception benches
Facing chevrons, not the Zoox 39-versus-9 lollipop.
The Perception Bench

Zoox maps 39 current profiles and 9 open jobs

The citeable seat is Waymo's 48 mapped perception / VLM current profiles versus 27 open jobs.

48
Waymo current
perception / VLM seat
27
Waymo open jobs
same seat still hiring
9
Zoox open jobs
same-seat job book
87
headline current sum
Waymo plus Zoox only
48 versus 27 is a perception seat still taking people

Waymo maps 48 current perception / VLM profiles and 27 open jobs. The bench is there; the job book is still open.

Zoox, the AV company, has a job book of 9

Zoox, the AV company, maps 9 open jobs in the same seat against 39 current. The citeable number is the 9, against 39 mapped current.

87 / 36 adds Waymo plus Zoox only

The headline sum adds Waymo and Zoox, the AV company, only: mapped current 48 + 39 = 87, mapped open jobs 27 + 9 = 36.

45 Waymo current profiles are US

45 of 48 Waymo current profiles are US. Company-wide totals are not what this page maps.

About this report.This page reads the perception / VLM seat at Waymo and at Zoox, the AV company. The mapped list can be requested through the list form.
Zoox 39 current versus 9 jobs, as a lollipop
Waymo
48mapped current
vs
27mapped open jobs
Zoox
39mapped current
vs
9mapped open jobs
Zoox has 39 people on the bench and 9 seats still open. Waymo 48 against 27 is the other cell.
Staffed, Thin Book

Waymo 48 against 27, and 45 of 48 are US

Zoox, the AV company, maps 39 current perception / VLM profiles against 9 jobs. Thick bench, thin book. Scale is Waymo current, 48.

mapped currentmapped open jobs
Waymo
27 48
Zoox
9 39
Waymo maps 48 current against 27 open jobs. Zoox maps 39 current against 9 open jobs.
How to read this.Waymo 48 versus 27 is still hiring. Zoox, the AV company, maps 39 current profiles and 9 open jobs. This is a talent-flow contrast.
US Bench

45 of 48 Waymo current profiles are US; 27 of 27 Waymo jobs are US. All 39 Zoox, the AV company, current profiles are US.

USother
45
3
Waymo current
27
0
Waymo jobs
39
0
Zoox current
Waymo current 45 / 48 are US; all 39 Zoox current seats are US.
Table Footnote

Waabi, the Toronto trucking lab, maps 1 current profile and 2 open jobs. The row stays in the table, is never sold alone, and never enters 87 / 36.

Company Mapped current Mapped open jobs Read
Waymo4827headline perception seat
Zoox399headline perception seat
Waabi12footnote · not summed
Headline sum8736Waymo plus Zoox only
This table is the citeable source. Waabi is the Toronto trucking lab, not Waabigan. 1 and 2 do not enter the sum.
Named list

Request the Waymo 48/27 + Zoox 39/9 mapped list

The same methodology exports perception / VLM mapped current and jobs. The comparison is two benches, not the Zoox lollipop.

Methodology

87 adds two AV names only

Function slice

Title / function tokens: perception, or VLM, or vision-language, or onboard / offboard perception, or computer vision together with driving / AV / autonomous. Bare ML or research were not used.

Current and open jobs

The figures are profiles Metix maps as currently employed at that company name, and visible open jobs mapped to that name, not official headcount.

Names

Zoox on this page is always the AV company. Waabi is the Toronto trucking lab, not Waabigan. Waabi is never sold alone.

As-of and source

As of August 26, 2026, 2:00 a.m. PT (8/26). Source: Metix AI. This page does not invent valuations, company-wide totals, or ride counts.

Limits.These figures are visible floors. 87 and 36 add Waymo and Zoox, the AV company, only. Waabi's 1 / 2 is not summed. The full mapped list is a separate request; this page shows no personal information.
FAQ

Questions this report answers

What does Waymo map at 48 current perception / VLM profiles?
As of August 26, 2026, 2:00 a.m. PT, Waymo maps 48 current perception / VLM profiles and 27 open jobs. Zoox, the AV company, maps 9 open jobs in the same seat family. Headline sum, Waymo plus Zoox only: 87 current / 36 jobs. Source: Metix AI.
What does Zoox map at 39 current versus 9 open jobs?
Zoox, the AV company, maps 39 current perception / VLM profiles against 9 open jobs. The bench is thick; the job book is thin. Waymo is 48 current versus 27 jobs. These are Metix-mapped counts, not official headcount.
Why is Waabi a table footnote on the 87 / 36 sum?
Waabi, the Toronto trucking lab, maps 1 current profile and 2 open jobs. That row sits in the table and is never sold alone, and it is never added into the 87 / 36 headline sum. Waabi is not Waabigan. 45 of 48 Waymo current profiles are US; 27 of 27 Waymo jobs are US; 39 of 39 Zoox current profiles are US.
How should the Waymo 48 perception map be cited?
Metix AI Talent Intelligence, 2026-08-26. Waymo 48 / Zoox 9 Jobs | AV Perception | Metix AI. https://metix.ai/reports/series/av-perception-talent-2026

Request the Waymo 48/27 + Zoox 39/9 mapped list

The same methodology can export mapped current profiles and mapped open jobs on the perception / VLM seat at Waymo and at Zoox, the AV company, or rerun a custom map on your target companies. The list form is the primary path.

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Aggregate report · no personal information shown · provided by Metix AI
Methodology: headline names are Waymo and Zoox, the AV company. Waabi, the Toronto trucking lab, is a footnote and not summed. The function slice is perception / VLM, not bare ML. Figures are Metix-mapped current profiles and mapped open jobs, not official headcount. As of August 26, 2026, 2:00 a.m. PT (8/26). Source: Metix AI.
Metix AI | Waymo 48 / Zoox 9 Jobs | AV Perception | 2026-08-26 Talent analytics powered by Metix AI
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