Sou Hu Cai Jing·2026-02-02 23:45Core Insights - Waymo, a subsidiary of Alphabet, has completed a $16 billion financing round, aiming to expand its autonomous taxi fleet to over ten new cities globally, including London and Tokyo [1][3] Financing and Valuation - The financing round was led by Dragoneer Investment Group, DST Global, and Sequoia Capital, resulting in a company valuation of $126 billion [3] - Major investors included Andreessen Horowitz, Mubadala Capital, and several others, with Alphabet maintaining its status as the controlling shareholder [3] Business Expansion - Waymo plans to use the funds to drive business expansion, having significantly accelerated its development over the past year [3] - The company has received approval to operate autonomous ride-hailing services to and from San Francisco International Airport, covering all of Northern California and several major U.S. urban areas [3][4] Operational Scale - Waymo currently provides 400,000 rides per week across six major U.S. urban areas, with a projected annual ride total of 15 million by 2025, tripling its previous figures [5] - The cumulative ride total has surpassed 20 million, indicating a strong operational scale [5] Safety and Regulatory Challenges - Despite rapid expansion, Waymo's autonomous taxis have faced operational errors, leading to increased regulatory scrutiny and public criticism [5] - Investigations have been launched by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board regarding incidents involving the autonomous vehicles, including a recent case where a child was injured near a school [5]