Dara Khosrowshahi, CEO of UBER, speaking on CNBC’s Squawk Box at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland on Jan. 22nd, 2026.
Oscar Molina | CNBC
For the past three years, Uber and Alphabet-owned Waymo have partnered to bring driverless rides to passengers in two major U.S. markets. That relationship is now undergoing some changes.
To this point, Waymo has made its robotaxis available in Atlanta and Austin, Texas, exclusively through the Uber app. But an Uber spokesperson told CNBC by email on Friday that, “We have been notified by Waymo that they intend to launch the Waymo app in Austin and Atlanta in January 2028, alongside their existing deployment with Uber.”
The development reflects how Waymo has been able to attract riders in a number U.S. cities without exclusive Uber deals, as its robotaxis are now live in nine other markets, according to the company’s website. More cities are engaged in various stages of testing.
Last year, Waymo also struck a deal with Lyft to offer robotoaxi rides in Nashville, Tennessee, on a non-exclusive basis.
In Atlanta and Austin, hundreds of Waymo robotaxis will remain available on Uber through at least May 2028, the duration of their existing contract, Uber said. The changes ahead allow the ride-hailing company to put other, non-Waymo autonomous vehicles onto its platform in both cities.
A Waymo spokesperson said in an email that users need “choice in how they experience this technology.”
“This is essential to the industry’s future and to our vision of making the Waymo app and the safety of our technology available to riders everywhere,” the spokesperson wrote.
The Financial Times reported on Friday that Waymo held internal discussions about whether it should split from Uber due to tensions between the two companies, including around conflicting policy proposals the companies are pursuing in different U.S. markets.
Uber shares dropped more than 4% on the news.
Independent of Waymo, Uber has been investing in AV technology, and has committed to buying vehicles from some of its partners, including startups Waabi, Wayve and Nuro, as well as electric vehicle maker Rivian, after their self-driving cars are validated as safe to operate without a human supervisor or driver on board.
Tesla, Amazon’s Zoox and other AV developers are also offering standalone apps that allow riders to hail robotaxis.
— CNBC’s Laura Batchelor contributed to this report.
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