Uber may be planning to work with Waymo

An unlikely-sounding deal could speed up the deployment of autonomous cars.

The news: The Information ($) says that with legal wrangling between the two firms at an end, Uber is mulling a partnership with Waymo to roll out autonomous cars.

The idea: Uber’s CEO says that “the network is [its] business.” And a source tells the Information that the company may happily allow driverless-car operators, like Waymo, to take a chunk of fares, just as drivers do now.

Why it matters: Pairing Waymo’s autonomy tech—arguably the most advanced in the world—with Uber’s network could get robo-taxis on roads faster than either firm could manage alone.

Plus: It may be prudent for Waymo to work with Uber. After all, it owns around 4 percent of the ride-hailer.

But: There’s no sign that Waymo is interested. And Uber is also reportedly set to test its own autonomous vehicles without safety drivers in Phoenix, Arizona, which Waymo is already doing—so the two are still very much in competition, for now.