Waymo says it reached 10 million robotaxi trips, doubling in five months

Core Insights - Waymo has achieved a significant milestone of 10 million paid trips, doubling its trip count in just five months, indicating strong integration of its autonomous driving technology into users' daily lives [1][2] - The company is currently providing over 250,000 paid robotaxi rides weekly and has received approval to expand its service to more areas in the San Francisco Bay Area, including San Jose [3] - Despite the growth in rides, Waymo is not yet profitable, with a reported operating loss of $1.23 billion in the first quarter, up from $1.02 billion a year ago [3][4] Company Strategy - Waymo's co-CEO emphasized the focus on building a sustainable business model and believes there is a clear path to profitability [4] - The company prioritizes safety in its operations, having been active 24/7 for nearly five years, and differentiates itself from competitors by using sophisticated sensors like lidar and radar [5] Competitive Landscape - Waymo faces competition from Tesla, which plans to launch its own robotaxi service in Austin soon, with ambitions to expand to Los Angeles and San Francisco [4][5] - Tesla's approach relies on camera-based systems and computer vision, which Tesla claims is more ambitious than Waymo's method [5]