Source: Theregister
Waymo's decision to abandon Uber's platform reflects a deepening split in robotaxi economics: Waymo is building direct consumer relationships and premium positioning, while Uber claims it can operate robotaxis profitably through its existing platform and driver supply chain. The divergence exposes a real tension between autonomous vehicle operators who want control over pricing and brand, and rideshare platforms that treat robotaxis as commodity fleet capacity. Which model proves sustainable will determine how autonomous mobility gets monetized and distributed to consumers.