Waymo Company News & Analysis — The Information

Recent Articles about Waymo

Art by Clark Miller. Screenshots via YouTube.

A $4 Billion Enterprise Software Firm Acquires AI Coding Startup Codegen

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Dec 23, 2025 7:00am PST

This year has been a big one for AI coding startup acquisitions. Who can forget the dramatic Google-Windsurf-Cognition saga from this summer? And this month alone, Anthropic acquired developer tool startup Bun and Cursor bought code review startup Graphite.Another coding deal is sneaking in before the end of the year. ClickUp, a $4... This year has been a big one for AI coding startup acquisitions. Who can forget the dramatic ...

Clay CEO Kareem Amin. Photo courtesy of Clay.

Why Some App Developers View ChatGPT as an Opportunity, Not a Threat

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Dec 22, 2025 7:00am PST

When OpenAI in October announced “apps in ChatGPT,” allowing people to use external apps like Zillow or Spotify in ChatGPT—essentially bringing the apps’ core functions into the chatbot—some developers wondered if this would be a blow to consumer apps that would further separate them from their customers. That’s a fear DoorDash, for instance,... When OpenAI in October announced “apps in ChatGPT,” allowing people to use external apps like ...

Ford has canceled the electric F-150 pickup and will reintroduce it as an extend-drive hybrid. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty

The Electric: Ford’s Leap Into Powering AI Data Centers Reflects an Industry Adrift

By Steve LeVine · Dec 22, 2025 4:30am PST

In Ford’s third-quarter earnings call in October, Ford CEO Jim Farley was typically optimistic about the company’s prospects for selling electric vehicles, predicting that a planned midsize electric pickup, to be released in 2027, would wow customers. In Ford’s third-quarter earnings call in October, Ford CEO Jim Farley was typically optimistic...

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Art by Clark Miller; Getty Images.

OpenAI Has Discussed Raising Tens of Billions at Valuation Around $750 Billion

By Sri Muppidi and Katie Roof · Dec 17, 2025 4:15pm PST · 11 comments

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. Art by Clark Miller; Getty Images.

OpenAI Has Discussed Raising Tens of Billions at Valuation Around $750 Billion

By Sri Muppidi and Katie Roof · Dec 17, 2025 4:15pm PST · 11 comments

OpenAI has held preliminary discussions with some investors about raising new funding at a valuation of around $750 billion, according to three people with knowledge of the discussions. It could raise tens of billions of dollars, and as much as $100 billion, according to two of the people. Talks are early and nothing has been finalized. A... OpenAI has held preliminary discussions with some investors about raising new funding at a...

Art by Mike Sullivan

Why Turing Is Buying Up Failed Startups’ Codebases

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Dec 17, 2025 7:00am PST

Last night The Information broke the news that Amazon was in talks to invest at least $10 billion in OpenAI at a valuation of more than $500 billion. As part of the deal under discussion, OpenAI would agree to use Amazon’s Trainium chips, we reported. It's the latest in a string of deals OpenAI has done to raise the money it needs to pay for its... Last night The Information broke the news that Amazon was in talks to invest at least $10 billion...

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Waymo to Join the $100 Billion Club

By Katie Roof · Dec 16, 2025 4:45pm PST

The boom times for startup fundraising are likely to roll into the new year. As I scooped earlier Tuesday, self-driving car service Waymo is expected to raise billions of dollars at a $100 billion valuation, more than double its last valuation.It’s the latest sign that while public markets quake, private investors are still eager to put money... The boom times for startup fundraising are likely to roll into the new year. As I scooped earlier...

Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Waymo Discusses Raising Billions at More Than $100 Billion Valuation

By Katie Roof · Dec 16, 2025 2:29pm PST · 7 comments

Waymo is in early talks with potential investors to raise more money at a valuation of at least $100 billion, according to people familiar with the company’s plans. The size of the round will at least be several billions of dollars, possibly even more than $10 billion, one of the people said. The exact valuation has not been set and the funding... Waymo is in early talks with potential investors to raise more money at a valuation of at least...

Sam Altman, left, and Sundar Pichai. Photos by Getty Images

ChatGPT Nears 900 Million Weekly Active Users But Gemini is Catching Up

By Sri Muppidi · Dec 9, 2025 7:00am PST · 1 comment

Sam Altman, left, and Sundar Pichai. Photos by Getty Images

ChatGPT Nears 900 Million Weekly Active Users But Gemini is Catching Up

By Sri Muppidi · Dec 9, 2025 7:00am PST · 1 comment

The competition between AI chatbots has been heating up, with Google’s Gemini nipping at OpenAI’s heels. On Monday, I wrote about how Gemini’s share of weekly mobile app downloads increased in late November following the release of Gemini 3, according to data from research firm Sensor Tower, which says it tracks 5 million consumers... The competition between AI chatbots has been heating up, with Google’s Gemini nipping at OpenAI’s...

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Grindr’s Control Issues

By Cory Weinberg · Nov 24, 2025 5:00pm PST

It’s not too often that a controlling shareholder can’t get their way at a public company. But an attempt by the two biggest investors in Grindr to take the gay dating and hookup app private went south on Monday. The reason? They didn’t come up with the money. It’s the latest chapter in a long-running corporate finance saga surrounding Grindr,... It’s not too often that a controlling shareholder can’t get their way at a public company. But an...

Art by Getty Images/Mike Sullivan

Why OpenAI Should Worry About Google’s Pretraining Prowess

By Stephanie Palazzolo · Nov 24, 2025 7:00am PST · 4 comments

Google’s breakthrough with Gemini 3, its latest AI model, has lit a fire under OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman, who told thousands of his researchers to buckle down and prepare for “rough vibes” and “temporary economic headwinds,” Erin and I reported.What might particularly worry Altman about Google’s latest model is how the tech company got... Google’s breakthrough with Gemini 3, its latest AI model, has lit a fire under OpenAI and its CEO...

A Base Power home battery. Photo: Courtesy Base.

The Electric: Zach Dell Joins a Group of Tech Scions Seeking to Shake Up Big Industries

By Steve LeVine · Nov 24, 2025 4:30am PST

Zach Dell’s father, Michael Dell, is one of his era’s most disruptive entrepreneurs—a visionary who shook up the personal computer business four decades ago. But that’s not who Zach speaks of emulating with Base Power, a Texas startup he co-founded to lease home backup batteries to consumers. Zach Dell’s father, Michael Dell, is one of his era’s most disruptive entrepreneurs—a visionary...

Oracle, Warner Bros. Discovery and the Ellisons

Oracle, Warner Bros. Discovery and the Ellisons

By Martin Peers · Nov 23, 2025 3:00pm PST

Oracle, Warner Bros. Discovery and the Ellisons

Oracle, Warner Bros. Discovery and the Ellisons

By Martin Peers · Nov 23, 2025 3:00pm PST

The Ellison family will have plenty to talk about when they convene for Thanksgiving this week (assuming they do!). The price of Oracle has plummeted in the past six weeks, for one thing, reflecting AI bubble jitters centering on Oracle. In the same period of time, Larry Ellison and his son David have been—by all accounts—busy plotting the... The Ellison family will have plenty to talk about when they convene for Thanksgiving this week...

Florida governor Ron DeSantis. Getty Images

Ron DeSantis Spotlights Key AI Question

By Martin Peers · Nov 20, 2025 5:00pm PST

We’re moving off the (unresolved) AI bubble debate to a much more fundamental question about AI. That is whether decisions about an enormously costly technology, which threatens to put many people out of work, should be left to tech leaders or discussed more broadly. It turns out Republicans may have the best handle on this issue, most obviously... We’re moving off the (unresolved) AI bubble debate to a much more fundamental question about AI....