Bloomberg Tech Special Edition

Waymo co-CEO on the Road to 1 Million Robotaxi Rides a Week

Release Date: February 11, 2026
Hosts: Ed Ludlow, Caroline Hyde
Guest: Takedra Malakana (Waymo Co-CEO)

Episode Overview

In this special episode, Ed Ludlow sits down with Waymo co-CEO Takedra Malakana to discuss the company’s recent $16 billion funding round, massive scaling ambitions, international expansion, evolving safety standards, regulatory challenges, and the road to achieving over 1 million paid robotaxi rides per week. Waymo’s pursuit of becoming the most trusted autonomous driving service is explored in depth, along with candid reflections on regulatory scrutiny, safety metrics, and global competition.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Major Funding, Strategic Implications, and Scaling Vision

• Waymo Raises $16 Billion

  • The funding represents a strategic inflection point for the company and a clear vote of confidence from investors including Alphabet, Sequoia, DST, and Dragoneer.
  • Quote:

    “$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. Right now we're laying the groundwork for over 20 cities in this year alone.”
    — Takedra Malakana (02:02)

• Growth Metrics and Adoption

  • In 2025, Waymo quadrupled their trip volume, offering 15 million rides, with over 20 million rides lifetime.
  • Safety outcomes are highlighted: At 127 million miles driven, Waymo reports “90% fewer serious injury causing crashes or worse.”
  • Quote:

    “Our mission: to be the world's most trusted driver.”
    — Takedra Malakana (02:58)

2. Operational Challenges & Expansion Strategy

• Scaling to 20+ Cities

  • From 400,000 paid rides a week in 6 cities (as of early 2026) to a target of 1 million per week.
  • Fleet development includes fully electric I-PACE vehicles, Ohio vehicles, and upcoming Ioniq 5s.
  • Execution, hardware cost reduction, and sustainable unit economics are key priorities.
  • Quote:

    "When we think about 2026... execution, execution, execution. So scaling across these 20 cities… making sure that we are continuing to cost down our hardware stack and prove out our unit economics."
    — Takedra Malakana (05:21)

• Super Bowl Activation in Bay Area

  • Major cultural moments (like the Super Bowl, Grammys) boost public awareness and adoption.
  • Waymo’s robotaxis are now part of everyday life and significant events.
  • Quote:

    “Super bowl is a reminder for us that Waymo is part of the fabric of the Bay Area... people were able to hail rides from SFO, from San Jose Airport, get to and from the Levi's stadium... and so many happy riders.”
    — Takedra Malakana (06:44)

3. Regulatory Landscape: City, State & Federal Dynamics

• Path to New Markets

  • Quick launches possible in supportive regulatory environments (e.g., Miami).
  • In major cities with stricter or ambiguous rules (e.g., New York City), the company must “demonstrate safety outcomes and earn trust.”
  • In New York, human safety operators cannot yet be removed entirely from the vehicle—a hurdle for true autonomy.

• Calls for Federal AV Standards

  • The current patchwork of city and state regulations slows progress.
  • Waymo advocates for nationwide safety-case–based standards and transparency requirements.
  • Quote:

    “We think it's really important that there is a federal AV standard. We've been advocating for sort of a safety case–based approach... I don't think you can lead globally if it's a framework that's governed by multiple jurisdictions.”
    — Takedra Malakana (11:18)

• Demand Driving Expansion

  • Grassroots campaigns from parents and disabled communities are cited as growing pressure for wider deployment.

4. International Expansion: London & Tokyo

• London Launch

  • Likely to be Waymo’s largest citywide deployment at launch, pending regulatory specifics.
  • UK regulators “extremely forward leaning and interested in seeing how this technology could actually improve safety.”
  • Strong market research shows Londoners value private, safe spaces and are willing to pay for robotaxis on par with existing cab services.
  • Quote:

    “People want safe, private spaces. It adds to their day versus becoming time that they lose in the day.”
    — Takedra Malakana (18:29)

• Tokyo Collaboration

  • Waymo teams up with Neon Kotsu and Go, integrating robotaxis with culture and incumbents (cabs central to life).
  • Partnerships help collect data, navigate regulations, and educate the public, with Toyota as a key enabler.

• Adapting to Local Laws Globally

  • Launching robotaxis in new global cities often requires ongoing collaboration with regulators to modernize laws written with only human drivers in mind.

5. Competition and the Global Robotaxi Race

• US vs. China Competition
  • While competition is welcomed, Waymo emphasizes leading on scale and safety.
  • They claim over 200 million fully autonomous miles driven and 4 million miles per week—“over six human lifetimes every seven days.”
  • Quote:

    “We should have competition around saving lives... but we don't think there's anyone who's doing anything close to what we're doing.”
    — Takedra Malakana (21:59)

6. Safety: Scrutiny, Challenges & Metrics

• Santa Monica Incident

  • A child was hit by a Waymo vehicle at slow speed (6mph after hard brake, down from 17mph), but the child walked away unharmed.
  • Waymo claims a human driver would not have performed as well as their “superhuman driver.”
  • Full cooperation with regulatory investigation is ongoing.
  • Quote:

    “This is an example, we believe, of exactly why we do what we do. We want to make roads safer. And we welcome the opportunity to cooperate.”
    — Takedra Malakana (24:02)

• School Bus Edge Cases

  • Recent NTSB investigation centers on Waymo’s handling of parked school buses in school zones.
  • Waymo already pushed a software update to improve this and is collaborating with the Austin Independent School District for data and insight.
  • Fixes are ongoing as edge cases “cannot be seen as a single thing”—variables like time, angle, and environment matter.

• Technological Foundations for Safety

  • Waymo’s philosophy is to use multi-modal sensory redundancy (camera, vision, lidar, radar) versus competitors (e.g., Tesla) who pursue a vision-only approach.
  • The rationale: “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?” (Takedra Malakana, 28:04)
  • Safety is prioritized over cost until satisfactory thresholds are met, after which economy of scale is addressed.

7. Metrics for Success (2026 and Beyond)

• Goal: 1 Million Paid Trips Weekly
  • By year-end, Waymo aims to complete 1 million paid robotaxi trips per week.
  • Success will be measured both quantitatively (rides, safety metrics) and qualitatively (preserving a safety-driven company culture).
  • Quote:

    “By the end of 2026, we will be doing over 1 million paid trips per week... having the safety culture that we've had within the company... making sure that we have that culture intact, I think is the other way that we will continue to measure our success.”
    — Takedra Malakana (29:46)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “Our mission: to be the world's most trusted driver.” — Takedra Malakana (02:58)
• “Safety is our priority, how we perform around school buses and children is a top priority for our company.” — Takedra Malakana (25:27)
• “We should have competition around saving lives.” — Takedra Malakana (21:59)
• “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?” — Takedra Malakana (28:04)
• “By the end of 2026, we will be doing over 1 million paid trips per week.” — Takedra Malakana (29:46)

Key Segment Timestamps

• Funding & Scaling Vision – 02:02 – 05:21
• Super Bowl, Brand Moments & Rides Metrics – 06:23 – 08:00
• Regulatory Landscape & Federal Policy – 09:15 – 11:18
• Expansion to International Cities (London & Tokyo) – 16:19 – 21:28
• US–China Robotaxi Competition – 21:28 – 23:05
• Safety Scrutiny (Incidents, School Buses, NTSB) – 23:05 – 26:52
• Technology Philosophy & Sensor Redundancy – 27:07 – 28:04
• Economics at Scale & Success Metrics – 29:00 – 30:29

Tone and Takeaways

The conversation is candid, transparent, and future-focused. Takedra Malakana projects humility and confidence, emphasizing Waymo’s mission-driven approach, their commitment to safety and transparency, while navigating regulatory and technical complexities globally. The episode provides a look behind the curtain on how one of tech's biggest bets on autonomous vehicles is living up to its promises—and reshaping the urban transportation landscape worldwide.