Waymo Notifies Uber of 2028 App Launch
Waymo notified Uber that it intends to launch its own rider app in Austin and Atlanta in January 2028, ending the companies' exclusivity arrangement in those markets, CNBC reported July 24. Uber told CNBC that Waymo vehicles will remain on its platform through at least May 2028 under the existing contract. Financial Times reporting, cited by CNBC and TechCrunch, described broader tensions over robotaxi policy proposals.
Waymo has notified Uber that it intends to launch the Waymo app in Austin and Atlanta in January 2028 while continuing its existing Uber deployment, according to an Uber spokesperson quoted by CNBC. The notification would end the exclusive arrangement under which riders in those markets currently access Waymo robotaxis through Uber.
Uber told CNBC that hundreds of Waymo vehicles will remain available through its app through at least May 2028, when the current Austin and Atlanta contract expires. An Uber spokesperson told Bloomberg that the end of exclusivity would allow Uber to add other autonomous-vehicle providers in both cities.
The change follows an earlier separation in Phoenix. TechCrunch reported that Waymo and Uber had already split their Phoenix offering earlier in 2026. CNBC also reported that Waymo operates robotaxi services in nine other US markets without exclusive Uber arrangements, and that it has a non-exclusive partnership in Nashville.
Policy disagreements accompany commercial changes
The Financial Times reported that Waymo held internal discussions about separating from Uber amid tensions over competing robotaxi policy proposals in different US markets. CNBC and TechCrunch both cited the Financial Times report. Neither outlet's available reporting detailed the specific proposals or jurisdictions at issue.
TechCrunch also reported public friction earlier in 2026, including Uber CTO Praveen Neppalli posting a video he believed showed a Waymo robotaxi, and Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi raising concerns during an earnings call about robotaxi behavior in school zones and emergency situations without naming Waymo. Waymo did not immediately respond to TechCrunch's request for comment.
A Waymo spokesperson told CNBC that users need "choice in how they experience this technology," adding that this is central to making the Waymo app and its technology available to riders more broadly.
Implications for autonomous-vehicle distribution
For autonomous-vehicle developers, the arrangement separates two related questions: operating a driverless fleet and controlling the rider relationship. A non-exclusive marketplace can give a ride-hailing platform room to list multiple AV providers, while a direct app gives the fleet operator a separate channel for service, pricing, product telemetry, and rider support.
Companies pursuing comparable multi-city deployments often face different regulatory requirements and partnership structures by jurisdiction. That makes local operating permissions, fleet capacity, app distribution, and platform contracts important variables for practitioners evaluating robotaxi rollout data or commercial AV integrations.
Uber shares fell more than 4% following the news, CNBC reported. The companies have not announced a complete end to their Austin and Atlanta relationship: based on Uber's statement, the reported January 2028 change concerns exclusivity rather than the immediate removal of Waymo rides from Uber.
Key Points
- 1Waymo's reported January 2028 app launch ends Uber exclusivity in Austin and Atlanta while existing Uber availability continues through May 2028.
- 2Financial Times reporting, cited by multiple outlets, links the commercial change to disagreements over robotaxi policy proposals in US markets.
- 3Comparable autonomous-vehicle partnerships separate fleet operations from rider distribution, making direct apps and multi-provider platforms commercially consequential.
Scoring Rationale
The reported end of exclusivity affects robotaxi distribution in two major US markets and illustrates changing commercial relationships among AV operators and ride-hailing platforms. It is relevant to autonomous-mobility practitioners, though the operational change is scheduled for 2028 and the report is four days old.
Sources
Public references used for this report.
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