Robotaxi pioneer Waymo has raised another $16 billion to help fuel its ambition for its fleet of self-driving cars to provide rides throughout the world while other deep-pocketed rival services backed by Tesla and Amazon try to catch up.
The fundraising announced Monday values Waymo at $126 billion.
The appraisal underscores investors' desire to own a piece of the rapidly expanding robotaxi market, as well as how far Waymo has come since starting as a “moonshot” project within Google 17 years ago. Analysts had estimated Waymo was worth about $30 billion just five years ago after a flurry of fundraising.
The new valuation may feed recurring speculation that Waymo will eventually pursue an initial public offering as part of a spinoff from corporate parent Alphabet Inc, which also owns Google.
Alphabet, which boasts a market value of nearly $4.2 trillion, led the fundraising that also included an array of prominent venture capitalists and investment funds.
In a blog post, Waymo said it plans to use the the money to extend its reach beyond the six metropolitan areas where its robotaxis already give rides in California, Arizona, Georgia, Texas and Florida. It's gearing up to enter more than 20 other cities, including London and Tokyo. Waymo's robotaxis already provide more than 400,000 weekly rides.
“We are positioned to move forward with unprecedented velocity, while maintaining our industry-leading safety standards,” Waymo said in the post.
Although Waymo's robotaxis have so far compiled a mostly clean driving record, they have experienced various problems that have triggered community backlashes and regulatory inquiries.
Last year in San Francisco, a Waymo robotaxi ran over and killed a 9-year-old cat beloved around its neighborhood. Many of the self-driving vehicles later contributed to traffic chaos during an extended power outage when they stalled out at intersections with darkened traffic signals. The National Transportation Safety Board is also investigating complaints in Austin, Texas, about Waymo robotaxis operating unsafely around school buses carrying children.
Waymo is girding for more competition from Amazon-backed Zoox in San Francisco and Tesla as it continues to pursue CEO Elon Musk's promise to build a network of robotaxis throughout the U.S.
FILE - A Waymo driverless taxi stops on a street in San Francisco on Feb. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Terry Chea, File)
SPRINGFIELD, Ohio (AP) — A federal judge on Monday blocked the Trump administration from ending temporary protections that have allowed roughly 350,000 Haitians to live and work in the U.S.
U.S. District Judge Ana Reyes in Washington granted to pause the termination of temporary protected status for Haitians while a lawsuit challenging it proceeds. The TPS designation for people from the Caribbean island country was scheduled to end on Feb. 3.
Reyes said in an accompanying 83-page opinion that plaintiffs were likely to prevail on the merits of the case, and that she found it “substantially likely” that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem preordained her termination decision because of “hostility to nonwhite immigrants.”
“During the stay, the Termination shall be null, void, and of no legal effect,” the judge said in her two-page order, adding that for now, the termination has no bearing on their ability to work and to be protected from detention and deportation.
Temporary Protected Status can be granted by the Homeland Security secretary if conditions in home countries are deemed unsafe for return due to a natural disaster, political instability or other dangers. While it grants TPS holders the right to live and work in the U.S., it does not provide a legal pathway to citizenship.
The Trump administration has aggressively sought to remove the protection, making more people eligible for deportation. The moves are part of the administration’s wider, mass deportation effort.
In addition to the migrants from Haiti, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has terminated protections for about 600,000 Venezuelans, 60,000 people from Honduras, Nicaragua and Nepal, more than 160,000 Ukrainians and thousands of people from Afghanistan and Cameroon. Some have pending lawsuits in federal courts.
Haiti’s TPS status was initially activated in 2010 after a catastrophic earthquake and has been extended multiple times. The country is racked by gang violence that has displaced hundreds of thousands of people.
“If the termination stands, people will almost certainly die,” attorneys for Haitian TPS holders wrote in a court filing in December. “Some will likely be killed, others will likely die from disease, and yet others will likely starve to death.”
They say the decision to end Haiti’s status was motivated by racial animus, and Noem failed to consider whether there was an ongoing armed conflict that would pose a “serious threat” to personal safety, as required by law.
The Department of Homeland Security said conditions in Haiti had improved. In a court filing in December, attorneys for the administration said the plaintiffs’ claims of racial animus were based on statements “taken out of context, often from other speakers and from years ago, and without direct links to the Secretary’s determinations.”
“Rather, Secretary Noem provided reasoned, facially sufficient explanations for her determinations.” they said.
A government notice in November announcing the termination said there had been some positive developments for Haiti, including authorization of a new, multinational force to combat gangs. Noem determined allowing Haitians to remain in the U.S. was against the national interest, the notice said.
Faith leaders and Haitian community leaders pray at St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Springfield, Ohio, Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, during an event in support of Haitian migrants fearing the end of their Temporary Protected Status in the U.S. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)
Faith leaders sing together as a sign of support for Haitian migrants fearing the end of their Temporary Protected Status in the U.S., at an event held at St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Springfield, Ohio on Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)
Bishop Dwayne Royster, executive director of the grassroots community organizing network, Faith in Action, addresses a crowd at St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Springfield, Ohio, on Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, during an event where dozens of faith leaders showed their support for Haitian migrants fearing the end of their Temporary Protected Status in the U.S. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)
Faith leaders and members of the World House Choir sing at St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Springfield, Ohio, on Monday, Feb. 2, 2026, during an event in support of Haitian migrants fearing the end of their Temporary Protected Status in the U.S. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)
Faith leaders from across the United States sing together as a sign of support for Haitian migrants fearing the end of their Temporary Protected Status in the U.S., at an event held at St. John Missionary Baptist Church in Springfield, Ohio, on Monday, Feb. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Luis Andres Henao)
