Waymo Secures $16B to Expand Autonomous Ride-Hailing to 20+ Cities

• Waymo raised $16 billion in new funding, reaching a post-money valuation of $126 billion.
• The company plans to launch in over 20 additional cities in 2026, including Tokyo and London.

Waymo has raised $16 billion in new funding, bringing its post-money valuation to $126 billion. The round was led by Dragoneer Investment Group, DST Global, and Sequoia Capital, alongside continued backing from Alphabet and contributions from firms including Andreessen Horowitz, Mubadala Capital, and T. Rowe Price.

"As a technology leader in the trillion dollar transportation market, Waymo has moved beyond research milestones to achieve operational excellence, tripling its weekly paid rides in just one year while maintaining customer delight,” said Konstantine Buhler, Partner at Sequoia, in an official news release. “Waymo is an exceptional business, leveraging its compounding data advantage to usher in a new era of transportation and a safety culture that can save millions of lives. We’re excited to partner with Tekedra, Dmitri and team as they expand the magic of the Waymo Driver to 20 additional cities and beyond."

In 2025, Waymo reported it had tripled its ride volume, delivering 15 million rides in one year and surpassing 20 million lifetime rides. The company says it now operates more than 400,000 weekly rides across six U.S. cities and reports a 90% reduction in serious injury crashes over 127 million fully autonomous miles.

With this new capital, Waymo aims to expand its operations to over 20 new cities, including international markets like Tokyo and London. In its official announcement, the company emphasized safety and commercial scale as it prepares for global rollout in 2026.

🌀 Tom’s Take:

With this funding, Waymo is moving from breakthrough to buildout, with robotaxis heading for the mainstream.

Source: Waymo