Alphabet’s Waymo is reportedly pursuing a massive new funding round that could push the self-driving leader’s valuation into rarefied territory, even as U.S. regulators sharpen their scrutiny of robotaxi safety. According to Bloomberg News, Waymo is aiming to raise about $16 billion in financing at a valuation of nearly $110 billion, citing people familiar with the matter. The report indicates that parent Alphabet would supply roughly $13 billion of the total, with the remaining capital expected to come from outside investors, including Sequoia Capital, DST Global, and Dragoneer Investment Group.
Waymo, which was carved out of Google’s self-driving car effort in 2016, has become the most visible U.S. operator of fully driverless ride-hailing at scale. Waymo is currently the only operator in the U.S. offering paid robotaxi rides without a safety driver or in-vehicle attendant, and it runs a fleet of more than 2,500 vehicles.
Waymo declined to discuss the specifics of the fundraising effort, but emphasized that its priorities remain safety and operational performance. In a statement to Reuters, the company said: “While we don’t comment on private financial matters, we are focused on the safety-led operational excellence and technological leadership required to meet the vast demand for autonomous mobility.”
A robotaxi business is extraordinarily capital-intensive. Expanding to new cities requires more vehicles, more mapping and testing, higher computing, and ongoing regulatory engagement. Waymo has been investing in scaling its fleet and operations, including efforts tied to U.S. manufacturing and vehicle integration.
Waymo’s lead also sharpens the contrast with rivals pursuing different technical and commercial strategies. In San Francisco and other markets, competition for robotaxi services is expected to broaden over time, including efforts by Tesla and Zoox, among others. The central question for investors is whether Waymo can translate its operational head start into dominant share before the field fully arrives—and whether the economics of robotaxis improve enough and fast enough.
Waymo began as Google’s self-driving car project (launched in 2009) and later spun out under the Waymo name. It’s widely credited as being founded by Sebastian Thrun and Anthony Levandowski during that early Google project era. Today Waymo is led by co-CEOs Tekedra Mawakana and Dmitri Dolgov.
