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Waymo seeking about $16B near $110B valuation

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Re: Waymo seeking about $16B near $110B valuation

#301

Post by devmor »

devmor wrote: post #210

As someone who lives in a city with a lot of Waymos (Atlanta), I do not understand why anyone considers these things more than an early test or a novelty. From an outside perspective, they're constantly obstructing traffic and driving in erratic and confusing ways. It's gotten to a point that if I see one ahead of me, I'll turn down the next block and change my route to avoid being behind it and dealing with whatever…

I must follow this up with today’s anecdote - heading home far later than usual from Midtown, stuck behind a Waymo in light traffic, inexplicably going 20 in a 35 with no one in front of it for nearly a mile. I loathe these things, they’re like automated drunk drivers.

Re: Waymo seeking about $16B near $110B valuation

#302

Post by DauntingPear7 »

IshKebab wrote: post #173
kccqzy wrote: post #167

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No one here should realistically think that Waymo can solve the main transportation problem. It will just (partially) replace Uber, Lyft, and taxis. And it will have a better passenger experience and it will also be safer. It’s obvious that cars, autonomous or not, can’t replace rail, bicycles, and walking.

I think it could solve a lot of transportation problems though. In theory if driverless vehicles were ubiquitous you'd have no on-street parking, no commercial transport in the day (do it all at night), much less traffic (just wait until your slot; maybe with peak time pricing), fewer delays due to crashes, etc. When nobody drives manually you could even do things like getting rid of traffic lights.

But then you get into a world where people can’t cross the street (moreso than what’s already available). I recall seeing a video on YouTube that explores your suggestion to its inevitable conclusion. Additionally, this could exacerbate suburban sprawl

Re: Waymo seeking about $16B near $110B valuation

#303

Post by fc417fc802 »

bigstrat2003 wrote: post #231
timerol wrote: post #214

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The average monthly payment for a used car in the US in 2025 was $532, according to https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/average-car-paym... . This does not count insurance, taxes, parking, or gas. A status symbol will easily run you $1000/mo. I currently pay $350/mo (including cost of capital), and I don't know how I would pay less for a car that's not actively falling apart. Chevy Spark, manual transmission,…

There's no shot that number isn't being driven up by people purchasing more car than they need. You can get a used car for $10,000 or less, there's no reason one needs to pay $500/mo.

You sure about that? A $7k car expensed over 18 months plus insurance and road tax is ballpark $450 /mo. That omits maintenance and fuel but conversely also underestimates how long the vehicle will be kept on average. Depending on where you live parking will range from free to potentially more than $100 /mo.

If you manage to stretch $10k cars out to 5 years on average with zero maintenance it's less than $200 /mo but ... no maintenance in 5 years?

I think $300 /mo plus fuel and parking is probably a reasonable estimate for frugal behavior.

Re: Waymo seeking about $16B near $110B valuation

#304

Post by DauntingPear7 »

guywithahat wrote: post #127
lapetitejort wrote: post #122

I do not think driverless will solve the main transportation problem we are dealing with as a society: we are giving up more space for cars, space that humans cannot use. We build more highways, widen roads, increase speed limits, and expect humans to stay out of this space. I live in a 100+ year old neighborhood. The roads were built for horse and buggy and streetcars. Now I have to beg to cross the road. My neighbo…

In my experience if I want to living in a bikable/walkable/transit oriented area, I have to move there. I think expecting this sort of stuff to come to you is too much, especially since most city centers have good transit options. That said this is a tech forum, and while I don't think Waymo will be the only solution the tech is quite impressive and it's likely going to change how society works. Most people don't wan…

Forcing people to take and buy and own and maintain a car since hundreds of billions have been spent on that mode of transit, but near zero (in comparison) on any other seems like bad form imo

Re: Waymo seeking about $16B near $110B valuation

#306

Post by nradov »

rubslopes wrote: post #290
nradov wrote: post #236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No. Not for some surgeons at least. Once you start cutting you may have to stay until the job is done so get good at holding it. In the The Way I Heard It with Mike Rowe podcast episode Dr. Rahul Seth talks about doing 12 hour surgeries. No breaks, no bathroom, constantly on his feet working. https://www.iheart.com/podcast/867-the-way-i-heard-it-with-m... Commercial pilots flying airliners generally have it a bit eas…

It sounds that I'm joking, but I'm not -- would it be so weird if those surgeons wore diapers?

Some probably do. External catheders are also an option.

Re: Waymo seeking about $16B near $110B valuation

#307

Post by metalcrow »

lazarus01 wrote: post #60
jFriedensreich wrote: post #35

No product had such a fast transition from novelty to "omg i never want to interact with a human again". I feel about 100% less stressed and happier using a waymo or riding motorbike or bicycle next to a waymo than with human drivers. I hope this next phase will bring availability and prices down. We need this in europe.

Im fortunate to live in an area dense with traditional taxis and Ubers, no Waymo yet. I rarely take taxis, the exception is when I have to haul my gear to the studio for a jam session. I always take a taxi, because it’s cheaper and faster than using an app to call an uber. On 80% of the trips, I end up having a nice chat with the driver and learn something new about humanity or myself. I really enjoy these interactio…

> I always take a taxi, because it’s cheaper and faster than using an app to call an uber.

I'm really surprised to hear that. Are you in a large city where taxies are common? Or do you have a local taxi service and app that is very good?

Re: Waymo seeking about $16B near $110B valuation

#308

Post by kolbe »

infecto wrote: post #287
kolbe wrote: post #273

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What gradual transition? Alphabet's ownership percentage is unchanged.

Notice I left a list of potential reasons. Not that ownership has changed. Just pointing out for folks like yourself that Google has made commentary about this exploring the idea of partnering with companies that operate the physical fleet. $3bn even if chump change for you is still a larger placement and has some level of signaling indicating the want to get other folks involved at some level.

I didn't ask for potential reasons. You're talking about the "reasons" for a "gradual transition," and I am telling you that this investment isn't transitioning anything. Everyone is keeping their equal share of the company. So, I don't understand why you are giving reasons for something that isn't currently happening.

Re: Waymo seeking about $16B near $110B valuation

#309

Post by danielmarkbruce »

kccqzy wrote: post #90
spwa4 wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I always (as soon as I could) owned a car, first on independence, but soon that became on price. A car costs between $350 and $500 per month, plus about 2 gas tanks, let's say $600. That's only 10-15 short taxi rides and two long taxi rides at best. And now I have a family, there's 5 of us. A car is easily less than half the price of public transport for what I need to do (because you pay per person). I hate traffic,…

A car does not cost $350 and $500 per month. If it does, it’s a status symbol, not merely a tool to get from A to B, and therefore it is unfair to compare it against taxi rides. There’s nothing wrong with wanting a nicer more luxurious car for yourself. But it’s just ingenious to compare that against taxis with beaten-up and spartan but reliable cars.

You are ridiculous. The all in cost is easily that. Cars don't run on air. Insurance costs money.

And you don't use "ingenious" there.

Re: Waymo seeking about $16B near $110B valuation

#310

Post by x187463 »

IshKebab wrote: post #171
jillesvangurp wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Waymo needs $16B to build what Tesla already has: manufacturing capacity. Without that, there are only so many cars they can put on the road. They've proven they can do the rides. But they haven't proven they can do it cost effectively. To scale up and start making a profit, they'll need to start building/buying lots of Waymo cars. That's not going to be cheap or fast. That's going to involve a lot of capital expense…

Making a driverless car "driver" is clearly much harder than manufacturing cars though. Many companies manufacture cars and have done for decades. On the other hand Waymo is the only company that has actual driverless cars on the road. It took them a very long time. Tesla have been trying for a very long time too and still have a long way to go. So IMO Waymo has something far more valuable than Tesla. (Obviously the…

Tesla has geofenced self-driving taxis operating in Austin as of Jan 2026. I wouldn't say they have a long way to go to achieve functional parity with Waymo. They do, however, need to prove reliability and safety, which comes with time and rides.
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