Waymo and Uber Unite to Accelerate the Global Roll Out of Self Driving AI Technologies

I was incredibly excited to see today's announcement of Waymo bringing its self-driving technologies onto Uber’s network. This groundbreaking partnership marks a pivotal moment in the history of self-driving technologies. Here are a few reasons why:

1. Unifying Titans in the Industry: Waymo and Uber's partnership sees the reconciliation of past rivalries, including well-publicized lawsuits. Uber's global operations and user base offer a rich trove of data. This feedback can be instrumental in fine-tuning Waymo's technology. Leveraging Uber's vast network and fleet management expertise, Waymo can scale up much more quickly.

2. Expansion of Service Scope: Waymo's technology will expand beyond ferrying passengers to include goods transportation. High vehicle utilization, particularly during off-peak hours, could translate to lower cost per mile. It's worth noting that driver costs still make up ~80% of Uber’s gross revenue. Imagine the surge in accessibility and usage if autonomous technology can halve the price per Uber trip.

3. Gradual Deployment of Self-Driving Fleets: Deploying self-driving cars differs significantly from scaling other AI technologies (e.g. GPT4) due to operational complexities and supply chain considerations. However, the market is substantial, with 80M cars produced per year and Uber servicing 7.6 billion trips in 2022. Technological advancements are often perceived linearly, but in reality, they progress exponentially. While the underlying self-driving technology is improving rapidly, the commercial service rollout will be slower.

4. Technological Innovations: Notable strides have been made in AI development, including Waymo's use of advanced simulations to accumulate over 20 billion miles of autonomous driving experience. Progress in machine learning infrastructure can speed up iterations and improvements in self-driving algorithms. Industry forecasts may have been overly optimistic, but it's incredible to live in a time when we can summon a fully driverless car in major cities like Phoenix and San Francisco.

This partnership between Waymo and Uber is an exciting inflection point in the self-driving industry. By combining Uber's extensive operational prowess with Waymo's technological leadership, we're witnessing a crucial step towards making autonomous mobility widespread and affordable.

How do you think this partnership will shape the future of self-driving technologies? Please share your thoughts!