Uber and Waymo end exclusivity deal in Atlanta and Austin, signaling shift in autonomous vehicle strategy

Uber and Waymo are dissolving their exclusivity agreement in Atlanta and Austin, a move that effectively transforms what was once a tight partnership into something more resembling an open relationship. Waymo’s autonomous vehicles will still appear on the Uber app in both cities for now. But the exclusive arrangement, which gave Uber sole rights to service Waymo’s robotaxis through its platform, is done. How we got here The partnership between these two companies started in 2023 with a limited pilot program in Phoenix. Things escalated on September 13, 2024, when the two companies announced an expansion. Uber would get exclusive rights to service Waymo’s self-driving fleet in Austin and Atlanta, handling everything from rider logistics to vehicle maintenance. Uber launched services with Waymo vehicles in Austin in March 2025. Atlanta followed in June 2025. By mid-2025, roughly 100 Waymo vehicles were operational in Austin, and the fleet was still growing. Riders loved it. The service pulled a 4.9-star rating in Austin. The Phoenix exclusivity agreement is confirmed to end around late June 2026, with Waymo’s vehicles there already reverting back to its own fleet and app. Analysts pr...