Stuck at Hebbal flyover or ORR? Internet jokes Mercedes' Teams feature is 'specially designed for Bengaluru' to help you attend office meetings
is taking in-car tech to a whole new level, and not everyone's thrilled about it. The German luxury carmaker has announced a new partnership with Microsoft, allowing drivers to take video calls while driving. Yes, you read that right.
Thanks to an upgraded version of the Microsoft Teams app, drivers can now join meetings on the go. The in-car camera will even let others in the meeting see them live. But before you panic, there's a limit: drivers won't be able to view shared screens or slides while the car is in motion. The system will automatically turn off the incoming video stream once the camera is activated.
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Mercedes
is calling this move a step towards 'in-car productivity'. The internet, however, is calling it a terrible idea.
The Internet Reacts: 'Nobody Asked for This'
The feature has gone viral online, mostly for the wrong reasons. One post on X (formerly Twitter) gained 1.7 million views, sparking a wave of memes and sarcasm.
'Not a single soul asked for this,' one user wrote.
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Another joked, 'Can't even have peace while driving now. Bring back the days of travel without constant connection.'
One person even imagined the awkward pitch meeting that led to the idea: 'What does the Gen Z intern who doesn't have a driver's licence think?'
A meme showing a person crying in traffic with the caption 'On a Teams call while stuck in Bangalore' captured the mood perfectly.
'Worst Possible Feature in a Car'
The backlash didn't stop there. Many pointed out the safety concerns of mixing video calls with driving, even if drivers can't see what's being shared. Others worried about the pressure to stay connected 24/7.
'A car is meant to get you from one place to another, not hold your Monday meeting on the autobahn,' one X user said.
Even on Team BHP, one of India's top car forums, the sarcasm flowed freely.
'Looks like it was specially made for
Bangalore
. Anyway people are stuck in traffic, let's make the most of it,' a user wrote.
'Oh great! Now they'll get to see me curse at the traffic all the way to work,' another added.
Mercedes-Benz and Microsoft may have good intentions, after all, traffic jams and long commutes are common. But the response so far shows that people still want their cars to be a place of peace, not pressure.
In an age where work follows us everywhere, the idea of video calls in cars might just be one step too far for many. Whether it becomes the norm or gets quietly dropped remains to be seen. For now, though, the memes have definitely arrived before the meetings.
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