Bloomberg Talks – Waymo Co-CEO Tekedra Mawakana Talks Global Expansion

Date: February 11, 2026
Host: Ed Ludlow (Bloomberg)
Guest: Tekedra Mawakana, Co-CEO, Waymo

Episode Overview

This special edition of Bloomberg Tech features an in-depth conversation with Tekedra Mawakana, Co-CEO of Waymo, on the back of their massive $16 billion funding round and at a pivotal moment for autonomous vehicles. The discussion covers Waymo’s plans for global growth, especially into international markets, operational scaling challenges, regulatory hurdles, safety priorities, and what industry leadership looks like as the robotaxi race intensifies.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

Massive Funding and Strategic Implications

• $16 Billion Funding Round:
  • Alphabet leads, with new co-leads Sequoia Capital, DST, and Dragonair.
  • The round signals investor confidence, reflects an inflection point, and enables expansion across 20+ cities in 2026.
  • Quote (Tekedra Mawakana, 02:01):
    “Raising the $16 billion and at the $126 billion valuation is really a vote of confidence... and it just allows us to continue to scale our business.”
• Investor Mix Meaning:
  • New investors entering at this stage validate the technology’s adoption and safety performance.

Scaling Challenges and City Launches

• Operations at Scale:
  • Waymo now provides 400,000 paid rides weekly across six U.S. cities (as of early 2026).
  • Largest launches ever planned, with groundwork for over 20 cities this year.
  • Quote (02:58):
    “In 2025, we quadrupled the number of trips... 15 million rides and over 20 million lifetime rides.”
• City-by-City Regulatory Complexity:
  • Navigating city and state-specific rules, e.g., New York City vs. State.
  • Quote (04:33):
    "We were the first company to receive a testing permit... in New York City."
• Fleet Expansion:
  • Introducing new vehicle types, including electric IPACE, Ohio vehicles, and Ioniq 5s (05:20–06:09).
  • Goal: Cost-down the hardware stack for better unit economics.

Cultural Integration and Consumer Experience

• Robotaxi as Part of Life:
  • Big events (“fabric of the Bay Area”): Super Bowl, Grammys, All-Star Weekend.
  • People using Waymo for everyday and significant life moments.
  • Quote (06:43):
    “People are using the Waymo service in everyday errands, doctor’s appointments... weddings, picking up a child from daycare, having a baby... and then these large cultural moments.”

International Expansion: London & Tokyo

• London’s Rollout:
  • Largest citywide deployment from the start; positive, forward-leaning regulators focused on safety outcomes.
  • Londoners value safe, private, time-adding mobility options.
  • Quote (16:44, Tekedra Mawakana):
    “They’ve been extremely forward leaning and interested in seeing how this technology could actually improve safety on their roadways.”
• Tokyo and Japanese Market:
  • Partnering with local cab companies (Neon Kotsu) and with Toyota.
  • Cabs are culturally embedded, and partnership aids Waymo’s integration.
  • Quote (19:11):
    “The drivers of those vehicles are part of that partnership. You know, they’re collecting the data for us... ushering in this change.”

Regulatory Landscape and Advocacy

• Advocating for Federal AV Framework:
  • U.S. is missing a unified federal standard; current patchwork slows progress.
  • Waymo suggests companies bear the burden of proving safety and reporting transparently.
  • Quote (11:18):
    “We think it’s really important that there is a federal AV standard. We’ve been advocating for a safety case-based approach...”
• City/State Case Study—New York City:
  • Current rules prohibit removing human safety operators.
  • Organic consumer demand for the technology where not yet available.

Competition and Industry Positioning

• Differentiation from Competitors:
  • Waymo is the only operator running 24/7 in six markets, driving 4+ million autonomous miles per week.
  • Focused on building partnerships and setting industry standards.
  • Quote (21:02):
    “We don’t think there’s anyone who’s doing anything close to what we’re doing. For us, it’s just staying focused on our own ambitions.”

Safety, Transparency, and Incident Response

• Recent Safety Incidents:
  • Santa Monica Incident (child struck):
    System detected the child, braked hard, impact at low speed; investigation ongoing.
    • Quote (23:06):
      “We are extremely happy that she walked away from this incident... our car was traveling 16-17 miles per hour. We did detect her... We hard braked and made contact at six miles an hour.”
    • Human drivers would not have performed better; Waymo welcomes regulatory scrutiny.
  • School Bus Parked Vehicle Challenge:
    Addressed with a software update; collaborating with Austin ISD for data-driven improvements.
    • Quote (24:30):
      “With safety being our priority, how we perform around school buses and children is a top priority... we partnered with the Austin Independent School District.”
• Transparency and Iterative Updates:
  • Ed Ludlow presses on whether fixes are “total solutions,” but Mawakana emphasizes the complexity of real-world “edge cases.”

Technology and Redundancy

• Sensor Suite vs. Vision Only:
  • Waymo champions redundancy—combining lidar, radar, and cameras—unlike vision-only approaches (e.g., Tesla).
  • Quote (27:07):
    “If you can see and smell and taste and touch and have all of your senses, why wouldn’t you?... especially with a safety critical function.”

Metrics for Success

• Near-Term Goals (by end of 2026):
  • 1 million+ paid trips per week across multiple cities.
  • Maintaining and scaling a safety-centric culture.
  • Quote (28:49):
    “By the end of 2026 we will be doing over 1 million paid trips per week... making sure that we have that [safety] culture intact.”

Notable Quotes & Timestamps

• Scaling and Investment:
  • “Execution, execution, execution. So scaling across these 20 cities that we’re laying the groundwork for, continuing to grow our world-class team is obviously super important to us.”
    — Tekedra Mawakana, 05:20
• Urban Integration:
  • “Super Bowl is a reminder for us that Waymo is part of the fabric of the Bay Area… getting kids to practice, in big life moments, weddings, picking up a child from daycare, having a baby.”
    — Tekedra Mawakana, 06:43
• Safety Leadership:
  • “When we were at 127 million miles, we were able to demonstrate a 90% …fewer serious injury-causing crashes or worse. That’s the kind of safety output that drives us.”
    — Tekedra Mawakana, 02:58
• Regulatory Vision:
  • “I think the United States has an opportunity with this technology to lead globally. And I don’t think you can lead globally if it’s a framework governed by multiple jurisdictions.”
    — Tekedra Mawakana, 11:18
• Technology Philosophy:
  • “If you can see and smell and taste and touch and have all of your senses, why wouldn’t you?…especially with a safety critical function…”
    — Tekedra Mawakana, 27:07
• Metrics for 2026:
  • “By the end of 2026 we will be doing over 1 million paid trips per week by the end of this year.”
    — Tekedra Mawakana, 28:49

Timestamps for Major Segments

| Segment | Topic | Timestamp | |---------|-------|-----------| | Funding, Strategy, Scale | $16B funding, expansion plans | 02:01–03:55 | | City Regulatory Challenges | Launching in new cities, city-vs-state | 04:18–05:20 | | Vehicle & Fleet Growth | New fleet, electric vehicles | 05:20–06:09 | | Cultural Touchpoints | Super Bowl, major events | 06:23–08:00 | | International Launches | London & Tokyo insights | 15:32–20:32 | | Regulation and Advocacy | Need for federal rules | 10:54–12:08 | | Competition | US vs. China, differentiation | 20:32–22:08 | | Safety Incidents | Santa Monica & school bus | 22:08–25:37 | | Redundancy/Tech Philosophy | Tech stack and scaling | 26:23–28:05 | | Success Metrics | 2026 goals | 28:49 |

Memorable Moments

• Super Bowl & Social Media Impact:
  Waymo's presence at large events not only boosts public adoption but is now “part of the fabric” of people’s lives (06:43).

• London Rollout Could Be Largest:
  Early indications are that London’s launch could surpass previous deployments in sheer scale (15:57–16:14).

• Japanese Partnership Model:
  Leveraging existing trusted brands (Neon Kotsu, Toyota) to enter culturally unique markets (18:55–19:50).

Tone and Language

Tekedra Mawakana emphasizes humility in success, a safety-first philosophy, relentless execution, and deep engagement with stakeholders. Her tone is optimistic, pragmatic, and audience-focused—grounded in real-world outcomes and ambitious about Waymo's future. Ed Ludlow’s approach is journalistic but enthusiastic, balancing friendly probing with tech-savvy questions.

Summary Takeaway

Waymo, flush with new capital and investor confidence, is aggressively scaling both in the U.S. and internationally. Their safety culture, regulatory engagement, and partnerships are cornerstones of global expansion, while relentless focus on execution and tech redundancy sets them apart. By the end of 2026, Waymo aims to surpass a million paid rides per week—driven by trust, transparency, and sustained innovation.