Skip to Content
Smart cities

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.

Keep Reading

Most Popular

Large language models can do jaw-dropping things. But nobody knows exactly why.

And that's a problem. Figuring it out is one of the biggest scientific puzzles of our time and a crucial step towards controlling more powerful future models.

The problem with plug-in hybrids? Their drivers.

Plug-in hybrids are often sold as a transition to EVs, but new data from Europe shows we’re still underestimating the emissions they produce.

Google DeepMind’s new generative model makes Super Mario–like games from scratch

Genie learns how to control games by watching hours and hours of video. It could help train next-gen robots too.

How scientists traced a mysterious covid case back to six toilets

When wastewater surveillance turns into a hunt for a single infected individual, the ethics get tricky.

Stay connected

Illustration by Rose Wong

Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review

Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.

Thank you for submitting your email!

Explore more newsletters

It looks like something went wrong.

We’re having trouble saving your preferences. Try refreshing this page and updating them one more time. If you continue to get this message, reach out to us at customer-service@technologyreview.com with a list of newsletters you’d like to receive.