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Waymo Explores Options to Leave Uber Robotaxi Deal
Waymo would shift rides to its own app as Uber shares fell 4.8% after the report, according to the Financial Times.
On Friday, Alphabet-owned Waymo notified Uber that it plans to launch an independent robotaxi app in Austin and Atlanta in January 2028, while remaining on Uber's platform until May 2028.
The companies are "pursuing diverging objectives," according to reports, as Uber criticized the partnership's "unsustainable financial terms" and both clashed over robotaxi regulations in different U.S. markets.
Earlier this year, the two companies ended their self-driving partnership in Phoenix, Arizona, and Uber recently wound down that service as it shifts toward other autonomous vehicle developers.
Uber shares fell 4.3% following the news; the ride-hailing company committed to buying vehicles from Rivian, Nuro, Waabi, and Wayve to diversify its autonomous platform.
Waymo maintains users need "choice in how they experience this technology," positioning itself to compete with standalone apps from Tesla and Amazon's Zoox in the expanding robotaxi market.