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Alphabet's Waymo has told Uber it intends to launch its own app in Austin and Atlanta in January 2028, signaling the likely end of a partnership that began in 2023.
Uber confirmed the notification to CNBC, stating that hundreds of Waymo robotaxis will remain available on its platform through at least May 2028, when their existing contract expires.
The Financial Times first reported that Waymo has held internal discussions about terminating the partnership entirely, citing a souring relationship between the two companies.
The tensions have been building for months. Uber's CTO posted a video earlier this year describing a Waymo robotaxi's behavior as unsafe and "scary."
Uber's CEO also publicly criticized Waymo robotaxi behavior in school zones and emergency situations during a May earnings call, without naming the company directly.
Waymo, for its part, has raised concerns about vehicle cleanliness and routing on Uber's platform. Uber has pushed back, arguing the partnership carries "unsustainable financial terms" and that Waymo vehicles go suddenly unavailable during bad weather.
The two companies have also ended up on opposing sides of robotaxi policy fights in statehouses across the US, each lobbying for regulations that favor their own business model.
The split in Phoenix, Arizona came earlier this year, making Austin and Atlanta the last remaining markets where the two companies still operate together.
The end of exclusivity in Atlanta and Austin opens the door for Uber to bring competing autonomous vehicle providers onto its platform in both cities.
Uber has already committed to buying vehicles from startups Waabi, Wayve, and Nuro, as well as electric vehicle maker Rivian, once their self-driving systems are validated for driverless operation.
Waymo, meanwhile, now operates in nine other US markets and recently struck a non-exclusive deal with Lyft to offer rides in Nashville, Tennessee.
With the contract running through May 2028, both companies have roughly two years of uneasy coexistence ahead before the competitive lines are fully drawn.
