In my Openness book I argue that the kind of economic growth that matters most is not the greater accumulation of old goods like shoes, but the creation of innovative new goods. The story quoted below gives a case-in-point, documenting how driverless cars radically improve the lives of blind passengers.
(p. A20) Mr. Brunt, 28, was born with a rare eye disorder. He can’t drive himself, and had never experienced the feeling of being alone in a car — until Waymo’s self-driving vehicles started navigating San Francisco’s hilly streets two years ago.
Now Mr. Brunt will occasionally make the hourlong journey across the bay from his home in Solano County, Calif., just to ride in one. “It’s that feeling of independence and actually having the control,” he said. “Being able to play whatever music you want, feeling like you’re in your own car.”
. . .
Claire Stanley, who is legally blind and uses a guide dog, said she had also had to “battle” for Uber and Lyft drivers to pick her up at home in Washington, D.C. When she travels to a city with autonomous ride shares, she and her dog, a yellow Labrador named Tulane, jump into them without a struggle.
“When you don’t have a driver, there’s no driver to say no,” she said.
. . .
On a drizzly day last month, Mr. Brunt was heading to the de Young Museum in Golden Gate Park. He had some trouble finding his Waymo’s precise location, so he pressed a button on the app to play a melody from the car and followed the noise.
He hopped into the passenger seat, and his Spotify account immediately connected to the car’s stereo system, blasting his electronic music.
As the steering wheel began to turn, moving the car onto the road, Mr. Brunt, ready to enjoy the ride, leaned his seat back and fiddled with the temperature until it was set to 70 degrees.
“That feeling of independence is amazing,” he said. “It’s something I never thought I would have growing up.”
For the full story see:
(Note: ellipses added.)
(Note: the online version of the story has the date May 24, 2026, and has the title “Blind Waymo Riders Savor the Solitude of Independence.”)
My Openness book, mentioned in my opening comments, is:
Diamond, Arthur M., Jr. Openness to Creative Destruction: Sustaining Innovative Dynamism. New York: Oxford University Press, 2019.