The rumor that Uber is currently in a conflict with self-driving brand Waymo is circulating recently, even the RSF team picked up this story! Bet you wouldn’t want to know, but Waymo is reportedly exploring official split from Uber.
So, does this confirm everything?
Relationship on the rocks
In a previous report here on the RSF site, Uber has officially ended its collaboration with Waymo in Arizona, and it’s not due to issues with robotaxis taking the jobs of human drivers, since Uber is set to find their fresh partner there.
This follows Uber also suspending or breaking away from the partnership with Waymo in Los Angeles, California, and Miami, Florida.
And, this only adds more to the flame burning, that Uber and Waymo are also clashing over robotaxis, also previously reported here on Ridesharingforum.com.
RSF, together with ridesharing media, exposed the fact that Uber may actually be in a real, real clash with its former friend, now its “enemy,” Waymo, over robotaxi deals.
Technology news website Techcrunch also seconded this, saying, “Regulatory pressure and public clashes between Uber and Waymo are accelerating a shakeup in robotaxi markets, putting major contracts and safety rules on the line.”
Split in the works
Those are mostly from the perspective of Uber. This time, this news is all over town, and around, saying that Waymo is officially, officially exploring split with Uber.
Amidst Uber’s shares skidding four-percent late this week, with losses accelerating in the last hours, following a reveal that Waymo, whose parent company is Google, is eyeing the exit ramp on their alliance.
The reports are saying that the self-driving car company is currently conducting internal discussions about terminating its current agreements with the world’s number one ridesharing app, which presently has operations in Austin and Atlanta.
So, this really confirms the rumors, especially with Uber confirming the friction, as featured on the Investing publication.
Waymo is a fully-autonomous, self-driving car and robotaxi service operated. It functions without a human driver behind the wheel. RSF will keep an eye on this, so keep tuning in here on this website!