Agree totally; what Comma has achieved is noteworthy precisely because they've not gone the obvious SV route.
They've delivered a meaningfully functional product that you can actually buy for a very reasonable price and retrofit to all manner of cars, while raising very little and now being profitable.
As for Waymo...is it really the best? It won't even drive on highways! Plus, it's not like you can "buy" a Waymo car. Nor will you ever be able to, I suspect.
Tesla is still the leader, but with Cruise in a death spiral and Waymo burning through so much cash their balance sheet is on the verge of spawning a gravitational singularity, I would not be so quick to dismiss Comma's strategy. Unlike anyone but Tesla, they ship a product you can actually buy, and actually use.