TL;DR
Uber just put a price on the driverless future. On Nov. 4 Uber said it will spend $10 billion to put 2,000 robotaxis into its fleet by the end of 2027, about half of them in the U.S. and the rest spread across Europe, Asia and the Middle East, in roughly 20 cities. The same day, Waymo, which runs about 4,000 robotaxis, said that starting in January 2028 it will stop being exclusive to Uber in Austin and Atlanta and will sell rides in its own app there. For ordinary riders, that adds up to two things at once: driverless cars showing up in many more cities over the next 14 months, and the first real competition over who gets to sell people a ride with nobody at the wheel. To see our odds on when Uber hits its 2,000-car mark, and the timeline of breakthroughs that leads to driverless rides in most big cities, subscribe.
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