Arjun L.’s Post

Talk about a special share - SELF-DRIVING BILLIONS - WHOA! Waymo just dropped a cool $5.6 billion in their Series C, and if you think that’s just another funding round, you’re missing the bigger picture. Led by Alphabet Inc. (because, of course), with heavyweights like Andreessen Horowitz, Silver Lake, and Tiger Global Management riding shotgun, this round isn’t just about adding zeros to the bank account—it’s about pushing the autonomous vehicle game to the next level. Let’s be real, while everyone’s still arguing if AI’s taking over the world, Waymo’s out here moving real people in real cities—San Francisco, LA, Phoenix, and soon, Austin and Atlanta—thanks to a fresh partnership with Uber. Yeah, Uber. The same app you use to get home after happy hour could soon be sending you a driver with no hands on the wheel. Let that sink in. Tekedra N. Mawakana and Dmitri Dolgov, the power duo at the helm, are turning Waymo into the name to know in autonomous driving. They’ve gone from idea to 100,000 paid weekly trips in no time—10x growth in the past year alone. And if you think this is just hype, remember that this is backed by 126,800 hours of road time without a human in the driver's seat. Safety’s their real flex—just peep their safety hub if you want the receipts. This isn’t just about tech for tech’s sake. It’s about making moves that matter: expanding Waymo’s fully autonomous freeway ops and optimizing the 6th-gen Waymo Driver to handle anything from your neighborhood streets to tricky urban highways. Waymo’s basically saying, “We’ve got this,” and, honestly, the numbers back them up. Chase Coleman at Tiger Global summed it up perfectly: Waymo’s built the best product in the AV space. Period. And that’s not just an investor throwing roses. With over 150,000 people on the waitlist in LA alone, the demand speaks for itself. This round’s going to keep the ball rolling, pushing Waymo closer to a future where drivers become an optional luxury. The lesson here? Stay ahead of the curve or get left behind. Waymo’s already shifted gears while everyone else is still figuring out where the ignition is. #BILLIONS (Sorry) #Waymo #AutonomousVehicle #SelfDriving #AV #DidIMentionBILLIONS #VentureCapital #ICanBeInIPO #WOW #SeriesC #SeriesAthroughZ #Technology #Innovation #TechEcosystem PS: I've had the pleasure of taking rides and must say it is super cool 😎

The mobility landscape evolves as Waymo expands robotaxi services and Tesla eyes a launch in China. Will Uber's strategic shifts pay off amid growing AV adoption? My weekly newsletter takes a deep dive into ownership structures of AVs and platform strategies: #AutonomousVehicles #RideSharing

Waymo is accelerating the future of transportation with an impressive $5.6 billion Series C funding round, now totaling $11.1 billion in capital. Backed by Alphabet and major investors like Andreessen Horowitz and Fidelity, this cash injection will fast-track its ambitious expansion across the U.S. for robotaxi services and beyond. Waymo is poised to lead in the "blue ocean" robotaxi market against limited competition, allowing it to refine its technology and tap into diverse applications like food delivery and logistics. Their strategic partnership with Uber in new markets like Austin and Atlanta signals a commitment to accessibility and consumer trust. As Waymo prepares for a potential IPO, the road ahead looks promising, aligning with the innovative spirit of our time. Is this the dawn of autonomous living? Let’s discuss how this shapes the future of urban mobility!

Waymo’s ability to mostly stay clear of trouble, along with its steady geographical expansion and its investors’ deep pockets, has put the robo-taxi operation into a very good position. While other autonomous driving companies might be tempted to move too fast in order to justify themselves to their investors, Waymo’s situation as a mostly autonomous sister company to the cash-generating Google gives it the comfort to take a somewhat cautious pace of growth. https://lnkd.in/etpZ4UR7

These numbers show the scale and growth that Waymo is hitting! 🚀 This is why it’s valued at a mind boggling $45+ billion! Go back to Waymo’s mission ⭐and it’s really delivering 🎯 (reduce road deaths caused by human error/improve road safety and mobility; reclaim time wasted in traffic; make everyday destinations accessible for people who can’t drive.) 📈 Waymo's Growth: Hitting 150k paid rides (and 1M fully autonomous miles) A WEEK! (Remember, Waymo already doubled its trips to 100k per week in just over three months in August.) 🏙️ Service Expansion: Expanded service areas in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Phoenix. And importantly, curbside service at Sky Harbor International Airport. ✈️ 🛟 Safety Record: Waymo Driver was **3.5 times better at avoiding crashes causing injuries** and **3 times better at avoiding police-reported crashes** compared to human drivers. 💪 Released its 6th-generation Waymo Driver system, which is cheaper, faster to develop, and handles extreme weather better. Future Plans: 🚕 In an interesting partnership with Uber, Waymo plans to serve riders in Austin and Atlanta starting in 2025. 🚘 Adding to the 700 Jaguar iPace cars, Waymo is testing Zeekr custom-designed robotaxis in California.

Waymo has hit a major milestone, now delivering over 150,000 paid rides every week — 🚀 In just the past two months, September and October, Waymo’s ride bookings have jumped by 50%, a clear sign of growing consumer trust and interest in autonomous transportation. As they keep expanding across cities, Waymo is driving closer to a fully autonomous future. With support from investors like Alphabet, the company is well-positioned to redefine urban transport and the way we think about safety, convenience, and tech-driven experiences. What do you think? Are self-driving cars the future, or do you have questions about this shift? Let us know in the comments!

Excited to announce that today, Waymo announced our massive $5.6 billion Series C investment round, led by Alphabet Inc. and supported by our amazing partners including Andreessen Horowitz, Fidelity Investments, Tiger Global Management, Perry Creek Capital, and T. Rowe Price. This funding will fuel our mission to bring the Waymo Driver, our AI-powered autonomous driving system, to even more riders in cities like #SanFrancisco, #Phoenix and #LosAngeles, along with our newest markets, #Austin and #Atlanta, with Uber in 2025. https://lnkd.in/ejQYPm8Q #Waymo #AutonomousVehicles #SelfDrivingCars #AI #Innovation #Transportation #FutureofMobility #selfdriving #roadsafety #transparency #FutureofTransportation #Innovation #TIME100Companies #AutonomousDriving #driverlesscars #rideshare #ridehailing

Winning in the #mobility space demands significant investments to scale up amidst the race for driverless autonomous vehicles. #Waymo, under Alphabet, strategically seeks external investments for growth, receiving validation from astute investors. The future of the automotive industry, as discussed in #DigitalMatrix and #Fusionstrategy, offers valuable insights for incumbent leaders. To scale up efficiently, seek strategic investments from complementors for accelerated success. Finance is only one crucial ingredient. Look for ecosystem partners offering complementary capabilities beyond financial capital, such as real-time data, to feed algorithms as the new differentiator to make autonomy technologically feasible and economically viable on real roads.

Very interesting. Peek into future. Tailing a robotaxi for hours and hours is weird. And revelatory. And jealousy-inducing. But a driverless world is coming for all of us. So close the door and buckle up. Granted, practically everyone has been numbed by the hype cycle. Autonomous cars—one of the canonical sci-fi conveniences—were the hottest thing in tech for a few years around 2018. Then a self-driving Uber being tested in Arizona killed a jaywalking pedestrian, regulatory scrutiny intensified, and a bunch of self-driving projects shut down amid a general period of disenchantment with tech. The whole autonomous driving industry started to seem less worthy of being taken seriously, if not completely on the ropes.

Waymo hits milestone of 150,000 paid autonomous trips a week (GOOG, GOOGL) Waymo announced that its Waymo One service has surpassed 150,000 paid trips and is now driving over one million fully autonomous miles each week. This milestone comes just two months after Waymo confirmed it had exceeded 100,000 trips per week. #GOOG #GOOGL #GOOGStock #GOOGLStock #Waymo #GoogleWaymo #AlphabetStock #GoogleStock $GOOG $GOOGL