According to media reports such as the Financial Times, Waymo, the self-driving car company owned by Alphabet, is currently seeking to terminate its partnership with ride-hailing giant Uber. Prior to this, the two parties cooperated to connect Waymo's self-driving taxis (robotaxi) to the Uber network and provide services in places such as Austin and Atlanta.
Uber confirmed to the media on Friday that Waymo has officially notified the other party that it plans to independently provide self-driving travel services through self-operated applications in the above cities starting from January 2028, which will then run in parallel with Uber's existing cooperative services. According to Uber, the cooperation contract covering the Austin and Atlanta markets will officially expire in May 2028. The two companies previously ended their partnership in the Phoenix area earlier this year. In response to this report, Waymo did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The instability in the cooperative relationship between the two parties stems from the rising conflicts and frictions. Earlier this year, Uber Chief Technology Officer Praveen Neppalli posted a video on social media accusing Waymo of “dangerous and disturbing” driving behavior. In a subsequent earnings call in May this year, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, although not directly naming the company, also publicly questioned the performance of self-driving vehicles in school zones and in response to emergencies. In addition, Waymo and Uber are on opposing sides in multiple industry disputes over autonomous taxi regulatory policies.