It's not surprising that you only hear about Waymo in the news when something goes wrong. That doesn't mean it hasn't been extremely successful, which it has by any objective measure, other than profitability at least in the short term. The tech works.
As many have noted, the problem is largely Byzantine zoning regulations, NIMBYism, and a "vetocracy" system that makes it extremely hard to build housing in so major metropolitan areas. For example, NYC likely needs at least half a million new homes to keep up with demand.