Amazon-owned Zoox has grounded its autonomous vehicle testing fleet in Atlanta after safety drivers reported symptoms consistent with exposure to carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, or hydrogen sulfide inside the vehicles last month. OSHA opened an inquiry after a worker filed a complaint, and a letter from the agency says up to 40 workers may have been affected, though Zoox disputes that figure. Workers say the company sent a group back out in another vehicle after some vomited, and that a second exposure occurred later that day, with the situation escalating to a 911 call on August 22.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-09-23
The Atlanta Rideshare Drivers Union says Uber and Lyft drivers have seen falling pay and longer waits since Waymo's robotaxis launched in the city last June. The group is asking city and state officials to impose a $0.50-$1.00 per-ride fee on robotaxi trips to fund driver retraining, and to bar Waymo vehicles from picking up passengers at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. Organizer Liza Ramsey admits there's no formal data yet, relying instead on driver-shared earnings screenshots as evidence.
futurism.com
· 2026-08-30
Flock Safety, an Atlanta-based startup that sells AI-powered license-plate-reading cameras to police departments, cities, and businesses, has rapidly grown from a niche security vendor into a widely recognized name. That visibility has come largely through controversy, as the company's surveillance technology has drawn public scrutiny and criticism rather than praise.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-08-28
Walk-On's Sports Bistreaux, the sports bar chain led by CEO Brandon Landry, has begun opening restaurants roughly half the size of its traditional 7,000-to-12,000-square-foot format. A new 3,700-square-foot location in Atlanta generated $4 million in sales last year, and the company plans a similar-sized site in Birmingham as part of roughly 10 new openings targeted for 2026.
entrepreneur.com
· 2026-08-25