AIBRIEF
The Financial Times says Waymo has told Uber it plans to run Austin and Atlanta on its own starting January 2028, the earliest the partnership contract allows.
The Financial Times reported this week that Alphabet's Waymo has told Uber it plans to run its robotaxi (driverless ride-hail) service in Austin and Atlanta on its own starting January 2028, the earliest date the existing partnership contract allows. Uber's roughly 4.3% same-day share drop suggests the market read the calendar before either company went on the record, according to the FT report.
The framing is "considering," and the public record backs that up. Both Waymo and Uber declined to comment when asked. The FT quoted a person familiar with the matter as saying the two companies were "pursuing diverging objectives," and named four specific gripes. Waymo cited concerns about vehicle cleanliness and Uber's routing. Uber pointed to sudden Waymo unavailability in bad weather and what it called "unsustainable financial terms," per the same report.
The current arrangement dates to a 2023 deal and already produced one real precedent: the two companies ended their self-driving partnership in Phoenix, Arizona in late June. Waymo vehicles still run on Uber's ride-hailing platform in Austin and Atlanta, and that is what would change if the January 2028 plan holds.
The report could not be independently verified by the wire that carried it, and no named on-the-record source has confirmed the four gripes. The next test is whether Waymo and Uber extend the contract, renegotiate it, or let it run out on schedule.