Waymo Reportedly to Exit Uber in Austin, Atlanta by 2028
28 Jul 2026
Waymo has reportedly told Uber that it intends to offer robotaxi rides through its own app in Austin and Atlanta starting January 2028, effectively ending a partnership that currently runs through May 2028 — the official expiration date of the Waymo-Uber contract covering those two markets.
The move would mark the second time this year that Waymo has pulled back from an Uber partnership. Earlier in 2026, the two companies split in Phoenix, and the reported plans for Austin and Atlanta suggest a broader pattern of Waymo reducing its reliance on ride-hailing intermediaries.
Rising tensions behind the split
According to the report, Waymo and Uber have experienced months of escalating friction. That tension has spilled into public view:
- Uber CTO Praveen Neppalli posted a video describing Waymo robotaxi behavior as unsafe and "scary."
- Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi criticized Waymo's robotaxi behavior in school zones and emergency situations during an earnings call.
- The two companies have also landed on opposite sides of several recent robotaxi regulatory policy fights, though the specific disputes are not detailed in available reporting.
These disagreements — spanning both safety perception and regulatory positioning — appear to be central drivers behind Waymo's decision to go independent in Austin and Atlanta.
What's still unclear
Several details remain unresolved based on current reporting:
- It's unclear whether Uber has publicly responded to Waymo's stated intention to launch independently.
- What happens to existing Waymo vehicles operating on Uber's app during the transition window between January and May 2028 has not been specified.
- Whether cities beyond Phoenix, Austin, and Atlanta are experiencing similar tensions is not addressed.
Why founders should care
This development is likely to matter for founders building in or around autonomous vehicles, ride-hailing, and platform-dependent business models:
- Platform dependency risk: Waymo's apparent shift toward direct-to-consumer distribution may signal that AV companies increasingly prefer owning the customer relationship over relying on third-party platforms. Founders building products on top of major AV or ride-hailing APIs should probably monitor partnership stability closely, as similar dynamics could affect their own platform dependencies.
- Safety scrutiny and public perception: The public disputes over Waymo's safety behavior — particularly around school zones and emergency situations — suggest that AV operations may face growing scrutiny. This could plausibly influence regulatory attitudes and public trust in ways that affect AV-adjacent startups more broadly.
- Pattern recognition: With Phoenix preceding the reported Austin/Atlanta move, there's a reasonable chance this reflects a deliberate strategy by Waymo to gradually wind down its use of ride-hailing intermediaries — a trend worth tracking for anyone whose business model assumes continued AV-platform partnerships.
- New market opportunities: The split could also open room for other ride-hailing or robotaxi platforms to pursue new partnerships in Austin and Atlanta, potentially creating openings for founders in adjacent mobility or logistics spaces.
The bigger picture
Waymo's push toward its own app may reflect a desire for greater control over rider experience and branding, and could be an early signal of a broader industry shift toward direct-to-consumer robotaxi models. For founders operating anywhere near the AV or ride-hailing ecosystem, the Waymo-Uber relationship is worth watching closely as a bellwether for how autonomous vehicle companies plan to distribute their services going forward.