Alphabet’s Waymo secures $16bn funding at $126bn valuation

Waymo has completed a $16bn financing circular that values the autonomous driving institution astatine $126bn connected a post-money basis.

The concern was led by Dragoneer Investment Group, DST Global and Sequoia Capital.

Its genitor Alphabet remains the largest shareholder, portion Andreessen Horowitz and Mubadala Capital besides participated.

Other backers included Bessemer Venture Partners, Silver Lake, Tiger Global, T Rowe Price, BDT & MSD Partners, CapitalG, Fidelity Management & Research Company, GV, Kleiner Perkins, Perry Creek Capital and Temasek.

The institution said it intends to statesman ride-hailing services successful implicit 20 further cities successful 2026, including Tokyo and London, and cited its caller introduction into Miami arsenic portion of a wider rollout.

Waymo added that the caller superior would beryllium directed towards planetary enlargement portion preserving existing information standards, including increasing its fleet and hiring unit arsenic it moves into caller US and overseas markets.

In its announcement, Waymo said: “This infusion of superior volition guarantee we are positioned to determination guardant with unprecedented velocity, portion maintaining our industry-leading information standards. Our absorption is present connected planetary scale, bringing the information and magic of the Waymo Driver to adjacent much cities this twelvemonth crossed the US and internationally.”

The institution highlighted information information from 127 cardinal miles of afloat autonomous driving, stating it had achieved “a 90% simplification successful superior wounded crashes” compared with quality driving.

Waymo reported beardown maturation successful 2025, erstwhile it much than tripled yearly measurement to 15 cardinal rides and exceeded 20 cardinal beingness journeys.

It present provides much than 400,000 rides a week crossed six large US metropolitan areas.

Sequoia spouse Konstantine Buhler said: “As a exertion person successful the trillion-dollar proscription market, Waymo has moved beyond probe milestones to execute operational excellence, tripling its play paid rides successful conscionable 1 twelvemonth portion maintaining lawsuit delight.”

Waymo’s erstwhile superior rise successful October 2024, led by Alphabet, valued the concern astatine much than $45bn.

The backing besides comes arsenic rivalry successful the driverless ride-hailing marketplace is growing.

Tesla is preparing to motorboat its ain work and has started constricted operations without information drivers successful Austin.

Amazon’s Zoox has rolled retired custom-built robotaxis lacking operator controls on the Las Vegas Strip and is investigating vehicles successful areas adjacent San Francisco.

"Alphabet’s Waymo secures $16bn backing astatine $126bn valuation" was primitively created and published by Just Auto, a GlobalData owned brand.