How Elon Musk is rewriting the rules on founder power

Elon Musk has merged SpaceX and xAI, creating what might be the blueprint for a new Silicon Valley power structure. With his $800 billion net worth already rivaling historic conglomerate GE’s peak market cap,&#1…

What happens when Waymo runs into a tornado? Or an elephant?
What happens when Waymo runs into a tornado? Or an elephant?

An autonomous vehicle drives down a lonely stretch of highway. Suddenly, a massive tornado appears in the distance. What does the driverless vehicle do next? This is just one of the scenarios that Waymo can simulate in the “hyper realistic” virtual world that it has just created with help from Google’s DeepMind. Waymo’s World Model […]

Why Waymo is having a hard time time stopping for school buses 
Why Waymo is having a hard time time stopping for school buses 

For years, Alphabet-owned Waymo has tried to set itself apart from other self-driving startups by emphasizing a culture of caution and safety. Now, just ahead of major planned rollouts across the country, it is facing a recurring failure in one of the most sensitive places imaginable: school zones. In December, the National Highway Traffic Safety […]

Senators grill Waymo and Tesla over robotaxi safety, liability, and China
Senators grill Waymo and Tesla over robotaxi safety, liability, and China

During a two-hour hearing in the US Senate Wednesday, top executives from Waymo and Tesla urged lawmakers to take action on long-stalled legislation to speed the deployment of self-driving cars on public roads. But after two hours of Q&A around a number of hot-button topics, including robotaxi safety, legal liability, remote operation, and China, it […]

Waymo raises $16B to scale robotaxi fleet internationally

The round, led by Dragoneer Investment Group, DST Global, and Sequoia Capital, now values the autonomous vehicle company at $126 billion.

Waymo raises $16 billion to take its robotaxi business ‘global’
Waymo raises $16 billion to take its robotaxi business ‘global’

Waymo announced a $16 billion investment round aimed at bringing its robotaxi business to more US cities, as well as some overseas markets. The funding round was led by Dragoneer Investment Group, a “crossover” firm known for investing in late-stage tech companies before they go public. Waymo’s co-CEOs said in a blog post they would […]

Waymo reportedly raising a $16B funding round

Waymo is reportedly finalizing a new funding round that will value the robotaxi company at $110 billion.

Waymo robotaxis are now giving rides to and from San Francisco International Airport

Waymo’s SFO win comes as the company faces criticism and concerns about safety in some of the cities it operates.

Waymo is finally starting passenger trips at SFO — but not to the terminals
Waymo is finally starting passenger trips at SFO — but not to the terminals

Waymo has finally broken through its SFO logjam. The company announced today that it will start offering robotaxi rides to a select group of passengers traveling to and from the San Francisco International Airport, a major step in Waymo’s effort to increase its footprint in the Bay Area. The company plans on gradually growing the […]

Waymo robotaxi hits a child near a school, causing minor injuries
Waymo robotaxi hits a child near a school, causing minor injuries

A Waymo robotaxi struck a child near an elementary school in Santa Monica, California, on January 23rd, causing minor injuries and prompting the National Highway Traffic Safety administration to open an investigation. The incident occurred during normal school drop off hours, with other children, a crossing guard, and several double-parked vehicles in the vicinity, NHTSA […]