Waymo Company News & Analysis — The Information

Recent Articles about Waymo

Art by Mike Sullivan

Amazon’s AR Glasses Could Help Train Its Humanoid Delivery Robots

By Rocket Drew · Sep 18, 2025 7:35am PDT

On Wednesday, Meta Platforms took a big step towards dominating the still-nascent augmented reality market when it unveiled the latest version of its Ray-Bans smart glasses, this time with a see-through display and a wristband for controlling the device. People will be able to send text messages via hand motions interpreted by the wristband.Meta... On Wednesday, Meta Platforms took a big step towards dominating the still-nascent augmented...

Art by Clark Miller.

Are AI Valuations Bonkers?

By Vinod Khosla · Sep 10, 2025 10:00am PDT · 6 comments

To many investors, valuations in AI land are bonkers—yet others justify them. This isn’t your usual bubble mania. Most valuations are bonkers, yet some valuations, even some apparently high valuations are not bonkers. The lower valuations will not be the ones that will be good investments! My message: don’t indiscriminately pay up, but... To many investors, valuations in AI land are bonkers—yet others justify them. This isn’t...

Inside the AI Era’s Favorite Hacker Houses

By Jemima McEvoy · Sep 6, 2025 7:00am PDT

Which hacker house came first? No one’s exactly sure. But what’s certainly clear is that such hostelries have become enduring Silicon Valley staples even as many other rhythms of startup life have significantly shifted. A whole new crop has bubbled up lately as AI fever has taken hold, presenting investors like Lightspeed Venture Partners’... Which hacker house came first? No one’s exactly sure. But what’s certainly clear is that such...

Art via Getty

VCs Bet on AI Chips That Use Light Instead of Electronics

By Rocket Drew · Aug 25, 2025 7:00am PDT

Art via Getty

VCs Bet on AI Chips That Use Light Instead of Electronics

By Rocket Drew · Aug 25, 2025 7:00am PDT

When Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in March said his company would release hardware that lets an AI data center chip send information directly over optical cables instead of needing to convert to optical from electrical signals, it was a shot in the arm for optics developers that have long wanted a bigger role in data centers.Using light to send... When Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang in March said his company would release hardware that lets an AI...

Art by Clark Miller

Why MIT’s Viral AI Study Struck A Nerve

By Abram Brown · Aug 23, 2025 7:00am PDT · 1 comment

Welcome, Weekenders!I’m delighted to introduce Weekend’s latest addition: Jemima McEvoy, who joins as a reporter.Jemima comes from Forbes, where she was a staff writer and a distinguished member of the Wealth Team, the group of reporters who assemble the Forbes 400 and World’s Billionaires lists and chronicle these moguls throughout the year.... Welcome, Weekenders!I’m delighted to introduce Weekend’s latest addition: Jemima McEvoy, who...

Art by Clark Miller; Getty Images.

Struggling Snap Considers Outside Funding for AR Glasses

By Kaya Yurieff, Erin Woo and Jemima McEvoy · Aug 22, 2025 6:09am PDT · 2 comments

For nearly as long as Evan Spiegel has run Snap Inc., his big bet has been on Spectacles, the company’s augmented reality glasses. All together, he has poured $3 billion into the effort—a fraction of what Mark Zuckerberg at Meta Platforms has invested in wearable technology, but a major expense for a company of Snap’s modest size. Spiegel... For nearly as long as Evan Spiegel has run Snap Inc., his big bet has been on Spectacles, the...

Subscriber Survey

The Information Survey: Two in Three Readers Have Taken Self-Driving Cars

By Shane Burke · Aug 21, 2025 1:03pm PDT · 1 comment

Two out of three subscribers to The Information who responded to a survey have taken a ride in a self-driving car—and nearly 99% of riders were satisfied with the experience. The survey results are the latest confirmation that after years of development and testing, self-driving cars are finally revving up. Two out of three subscribers to The Information who responded to a survey have taken a ride in a...

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Photo by Getty Images. Art by Clark Miller.

Behind Many Robots, a Human Operator Toils

By Alex Perry and Rocket Drew · Aug 18, 2025 1:14pm PDT · 6 comments

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang. Photo by Getty Images. Art by Clark Miller.

Artificial Intelligence

Behind Many Robots, a Human Operator Toils

By Alex Perry and Rocket Drew · Aug 18, 2025 1:14pm PDT · 6 comments

When Nvidia wanted to show off software for developing artificial intelligence at its flagship customer conference in March, it brought out a Star Wars–inspired robot that bobbed its head as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang talked to it. “Stand right here,” said Huang, pointing to his side, and the knee-high robot waddled to the spot, receiving... When Nvidia wanted to show off software for developing artificial intelligence at its flagship...

Lyten CEO Dan Cook. Photo: Courtesy Lyten

Exclusive From The Electric: Cash Will Be Lyten's Biggest Challenge in its Northvolt Takeover

By Steve LeVine · Aug 18, 2025 4:30am PDT

If everything goes well in the coming months, San Jose, Calif., startup Lyten will crank up the production of nickel-based batteries at its newly acquired plant in Sweden. It will then ship those batteries to another plant it’s just acquired in Poland, and make them into stationary storage systems for a list of waiting customers. If everything goes well in the coming months, San Jose, Calif., startup Lyten will crank up the...

Venture and Deals Reporter Katie Roof to Join The Information

By The Information Staff · Aug 12, 2025 9:11am PDT · 3 comments

The Information’s editors shared this note with staff today. Hi - We’re delighted to announce Katie Roof is joining The Information to continue what she does best: break news about the most important tech deals. She will also share her years of experience by mentoring other reporters on the craft of deal-scooping. She’ll be our... The Information’s editors shared this note with staff today. Hi - We’re delighted to announce...

Uber CEO on the Next Decade in Autonomous and Why He Isn’t Rushing to Do Big M&A

By Jessica E. Lessin · Aug 6, 2025 12:48pm PDT · 4 comments

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi is having a good year. Despite growing competition and the looming rise of autonomous vehicles, the company announced another quarter of solid growth and a $20 billion share buyback. And, as he shared with me in an interview on The Information’s TITV on Wednesday, it’s all a pretty simple strategy: “We are both in ride... Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi is having a good year. Despite growing competition and the looming...

Snap CEO Evan Spiegel at The Information's Future of Influence event in June. Photo by Erin Beach.

Snap’s Earnings Show a Stalled Business

By Martin Peers · Aug 5, 2025 5:00pm PDT

Snap CEO Evan Spiegel at The Information's Future of Influence event in June. Photo by Erin Beach.

Snap’s Earnings Show a Stalled Business

By Martin Peers · Aug 5, 2025 5:00pm PDT

Last Friday, the day after Figma went public with a 250% pop, former Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan tweeted that Figma’s success was “a great reminder that letting startups grow into independently successful businesses, rather than be bought by existing giants, can generate enormous value.” Good point. But for every Figma, there’s a... Last Friday, the day after Figma went public with a 250% pop, former Federal Trade Commission...

Testing Bedrock's autonomously driven excavator. Photo: Courtesy Bedrock

The Electric: These Ex-Waymo Executives Are Automating Construction Equipment

By Steve LeVine · Jul 31, 2025 4:30am PDT

It’s taken a decade or so for companies like Tesla, Waymo and others to launch self-driving vehicles. Now a group of five former Waymo executives is aiming to produce giant excavators that operate autonomously in just two years. It’s taken a decade or so for companies like Tesla, Waymo and others to launch self-driving...

Art via Mike Sullivan

AI Agenda: The Startups Hoping to Unseat Scale AI

By Stephanie Palazzolo and Sri Muppidi · Jul 30, 2025 7:00am PDT

Before we get to today's column, my colleague Valida and I reported Tuesday that Canadian AI model maker Cohere is in talks to raise up to $500 million in a new funding round at a $6.3 billion valuation. Existing investors Inovia Capital and Radical Ventures are in talks to invest in the round. This company recently generated revenue at an... Before we get to today's column, my colleague Valida and I reported Tuesday that Canadian AI...

Photo via Getty

Musk Giggles as Tesla Tanks

By Theo Wayt · Jul 23, 2025 5:00pm PDT · 1 comment

Most CEOs reporting a 12% decline in quarterly revenues would adopt a sober attitude on their earnings call. Not Elon Musk, who opened Tesla’s analyst call on Wednesday with what sounded suspiciously like a penis joke, and then proceeded to make the rather, er, ambitious prediction that Tesla’s robotaxis would be available to half the U.S.... Most CEOs reporting a 12% decline in quarterly revenues would adopt a sober attitude on their...

Photo via Getty

Waymo’s Debatable Growth Milestone

By Martin Peers · Jul 15, 2025 5:00pm PDT · 2 comments

Photo via Getty

Waymo’s Debatable Growth Milestone

By Martin Peers · Jul 15, 2025 5:00pm PDT · 2 comments

Way to go, Waymo! The Alphabet-owned robotaxi service has hit a 100-million-mile autonomous driving milestone, the company announced Tuesday to much fanfare. That figure is 10 times what it was two months ago. Take that, Elon Musk, whose Tesla has barely launched its robotaxi service in Austin, Texas.Waymo’s success reflects a growing acceptance... Way to go, Waymo! The Alphabet-owned robotaxi service has hit a 100-million-mile autonomous...