Waymo, the only autonomous vehicle company generating revenue from robotaxi rides in the U.S., is expanding its services and exploring new revenue streams, such as in-vehicle advertising and data sharing for AI models. Despite logging over 200,000 paid rides weekly, Waymo remains unprofitable, with significant investments in R&D and expansion costs. Alphabet, Waymo's parent company, continues to support it financially, but Waymo's financials are not separately disclosed in Alphabet's earnings reports. The company plans to launch commercial services in additional cities over the next two years.
Key takeaways:
- Waymo is planning to use data from its robotaxis, including interior camera footage linked to rider identities, to train generative AI models, with an option for riders to opt out.
- The unreleased privacy policy indicates that Waymo may share rider data for personalized advertising, which is consistent with its existing practices.
- Waymo is the only autonomous vehicle company generating revenue from robotaxi rides in the U.S., with over 200,000 rides per week as of February 2025.
- Despite growth, Waymo remains unprofitable, with Alphabet investing heavily in the company, which is exploring new revenue streams like in-vehicle advertising and data sharing for AI models.
