Robotaxi pioneer Waymo gets $16 billion injection to accelerate its
expansion plans
[February 03, 2026] By
MICHAEL LIEDTKE
Robotaxi pioneer Waymo has raised another $16 billion to help fuel its
ambition for its fleet of self-driving cars to provide rides throughout
the world while other deep-pocketed rival services backed by Tesla and
Amazon try to catch up.
The fundraising announced Monday values Waymo at $126 billion.
The appraisal underscores investors' desire to own a piece of the
rapidly expanding robotaxi market, as well as how far Waymo has come
since starting as a “moonshot” project within Google 17 years ago.
Analysts had estimated Waymo was worth about $30 billion just five years
ago after a flurry of fundraising.
The new valuation may feed recurring speculation that Waymo will
eventually pursue an initial public offering as part of a spinoff from
corporate parent Alphabet Inc, which also owns Google.
Alphabet, which boasts a market value of nearly $4.2 trillion, led the
fundraising that also included an array of prominent venture capitalists
and investment funds.
In a blog post, Waymo said it plans to use the the money to extend its
reach beyond the six metropolitan areas where its robotaxis already give
rides in California, Arizona, Georgia, Texas and Florida. It's gearing
up to enter more than 20 other cities, including London and Tokyo.
Waymo's robotaxis already provide more than 400,000 weekly rides.
“We are positioned to move forward with unprecedented velocity, while
maintaining our industry-leading safety standards,” Waymo said in the
post.
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A Waymo driverless taxi stops on a street in San Francisco on Feb.
15, 2023. (AP Photo/Terry Chea, File)
 Although Waymo's robotaxis have so
far compiled a mostly clean driving record, they have experienced
various problems that have triggered community backlashes and
regulatory inquiries.
Last year in San Francisco, a Waymo robotaxi ran over and killed a
9-year-old cat beloved around its neighborhood. Many of the
self-driving vehicles later contributed to traffic chaos during an
extended power outage when they stalled out at intersections with
darkened traffic signals. The National Transportation Safety Board
is also investigating complaints in Austin, Texas, about Waymo
robotaxis operating unsafely around school buses carrying children.
Waymo is girding for more competition from Amazon-backed Zoox in San
Francisco and Tesla as it continues to pursue CEO Elon Musk's
promise to build a network of robotaxis throughout the U.S.
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