Uber Is Literally In The Driver’s Seat When It Comes To AV Bets
Uber robotaxis strategy partners with Waabi and 20+ AV firms to dominate autonomous mobility without building its own vehicles.
Uber Is Literally In The Driver’s Seat When It Comes To AV Bets
Uber Robotaxis Dominate 2026's Self-Driving Race Will Uber actually profit from self-driving cars? The answer is unfolding faster than many predicted. In January 2026, autonomous trucking startup Waabi secured a landmark $1 billion funding round—including $250 million directly from Uber—to deploy more than 25,000 robotaxis exclusively on Uber's platform. Founded by Raquel Urtasun, Uber's former AI chief, Waabi's pivot from freight to passenger vehicles marks a critical inflection point in the autonomous vehicle race. Rather than manufacturing its own cars, Uber has positioned itself as the essential marketplace where robotaxis succeed or fail. Credit: Google The Waabi Bet: From Trucks to Taxis Waabi's billion-dollar valuation surprised industry watchers who viewed the Toronto-based startup strictly through a freight lens. The company's core innovation—its "simulation-first" Physical AI platform—trained autonomous systems in virtual environments before rea…
