Waymo Expands Robotaxi Fleet to 10 US Markets as Alphabet Outpaces Tesla in Autonomous Race

Waymo, Alphabet's autonomous vehicle subsidiary, announced Wednesday it will deploy driverless robotaxis in four additional US cities—Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando—expanding its commercial footprint to 10 major metropolitan areas. The phased rollout begins with select riders, mirroring Waymo’s established protocol: employee testing precedes limited public access before broader availability.

"We’re on track to serve over one million rides weekly by year-end," said co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana, underscoring the company’s aggressive scaling strategy. Texas and Florida emerge as pivotal markets, with Waymo targeting operations in 20+ cities. The expansion solidifies Alphabet’s lead over Tesla in the autonomous mobility sector—a space where regulatory approval and fleet scalability remain critical hurdles.

Investors reacted to the news with measured optimism. Alphabet shares edged up 0.8% in afternoon trading, while Tesla dipped 1.2%. The MOVE highlights the diverging approaches of the two tech giants: Waymo prioritizes incremental regulatory compliance, whereas Tesla continues betting on its Full Self-Driving software’s iterative improvements.