Waymo fires Uber as a partner and the robotaxi war starts for real

Waymo is ending its Phoenix robotaxi partnership with Uber and planning to exit Austin and Atlanta by January 2028, signalling a shift from supplier-to-platform to direct customer ownership. The split reflects Waymo's scale (500,000 weekly rides) and reveals a regulatory fight: Uber is pushing for hybrid models requiring human drivers on driverless platforms, whilst Waymo backs pure autonomous operations.

This Wire brief sits within Fusion42's coverage of Autonomous Vehicles. Wire is Fusion42's founder-focused intelligence feed: each story is connected to the funds and startups it names — every one with a live profile on Raise or Scout — so founders can follow the capital and the momentum behind the headline rather than just the headline itself. Wire analysis is one of the live surfaces Arthur reasons over.