"Bryant Walker Smith, a University of South Carolina law professor who studies autonomous vehicles, said the announcement shows that Waymo, which was spun off from Google and is part of parent company Alphabet, has plans to integrate itself into the existing auto industry.
“You can’t reinvent everything. Coming to Michigan in some ways is your complete recognition of that,” Smith said. “Michigan is where you go in the United States to be fully immersed in automotive culture and industry.”"