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TLDR; Waymo will be spinning up new company next month exclusively for app based rides (name is being kept secret). Fares will be competitive with Uber/Lyft. Th

TLDR; Waymo will be spinning up new company next month exclusively for app based rides (name is being kept secret). Fares will be competitive with Uber/Lyft. They did year long test drive for 400 customers in Phoenix. These same customers would be offered initial access. Other competitors still remains far behind in terms of disengagement metric. This will mark the first ever commercial self-driving cab service.

vkou 8y ago
Why spin up a new company? Is it to limit liability?
- sytelus 8y ago
  It looks like Waymo might become provider of tech to sub-companies that operates specialized segments like self-driving cab, self-driving food deliveries, self-driving trucks, etc.
- panarky 8y ago
  Waymo does the R&D for the autonomous driver. Then separate companies build a business around each use case to monetize the driver. 1) Consumer rideshare 2) Courier / delivery 3) Corporate / fleet / trucking 4) License driver tech to OEMs 5) Lease self-driving vehicles outright 6) ???
- glenrivard 8y ago
  Brand. There is going to be massive job losses ultimately by SDC. You want to keep the Google brand out of it as much as possible. But also equity. Waymo employees are only given shares in Waymo and NOT Alphabet.
sytelus 8y ago
There have been rumors of Waymo preparing 60,000 self-driving cars. So next year (or two) could be game changer.
- romed 8y ago
  That is not a rumor. Google and Fiat announced the deal. Remember, the entire game for self-driving-car journalists is finding new and creative ways to ignore the fact that Waymo is obviously far ahead of everyone else. They ordered 62000 vans, but Cruise's big advantage is partnership with GM. Uber kills people while Waymo has been shuttling hundreds of people around Arizona for months, but keep writing about how it's a horse race. https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/chrysler/2018/05/31/waymo-orders-self-driving-chrysler-pacifica-minivans/660093002/ https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/chrysler/2018/05/31/w...
specialist 8y ago
Chandler. A wealthier suburb of Phoenix. While I was there, the local TV channels ran segments a couple times a day. Very well done. I assume it was paid editorial content.

vkou 8y ago

Why spin up a new company? Is it to limit liability?

sytelus 8y ago
It looks like Waymo might become provider of tech to sub-companies that operates specialized segments like self-driving cab, self-driving food deliveries, self-driving trucks, etc.
panarky 8y ago
Waymo does the R&D for the autonomous driver. Then separate companies build a business around each use case to monetize the driver. 1) Consumer rideshare 2) Courier / delivery 3) Corporate / fleet / trucking 4) License driver tech to OEMs 5) Lease self-driving vehicles outright 6) ???
glenrivard 8y ago
Brand. There is going to be massive job losses ultimately by SDC. You want to keep the Google brand out of it as much as possible. But also equity. Waymo employees are only given shares in Waymo and NOT Alphabet.

sytelus 8y ago

There have been rumors of Waymo preparing 60,000 self-driving cars. So next year (or two) could be game changer.

romed 8y ago
That is not a rumor. Google and Fiat announced the deal. Remember, the entire game for self-driving-car journalists is finding new and creative ways to ignore the fact that Waymo is obviously far ahead of everyone else. They ordered 62000 vans, but Cruise's big advantage is partnership with GM. Uber kills people while Waymo has been shuttling hundreds of people around Arizona for months, but keep writing about how it's a horse race. https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/chrysler/2018/05/31/waymo-orders-self-driving-chrysler-pacifica-minivans/660093002/ https://www.freep.com/story/money/cars/chrysler/2018/05/31/w...

specialist 8y ago

Chandler. A wealthier suburb of Phoenix. While I was there, the local TV channels ran segments a couple times a day. Very well done. I assume it was paid editorial content.