Waymo raises $16B in major funding round

Core Insights - Waymo has successfully closed a $16 billion funding round, increasing its post-money valuation to $126 billion, with significant backing from Dragoneer Investment Group, DST Global, and Sequoia Capital [6] - The company plans to expand its robotaxi operations to 20 more cities globally by 2026, including Tokyo and London, in response to rising demand for autonomous mobility [6] - Waymo's ride-hailing service, Waymo One, has tripled its annual ride volume to 15 million rides in 2025, currently providing 400,000 paid rides per week across six major U.S. metropolitan areas [6] Company Overview - Waymo, a leader in autonomous driving technology, spun out from Google's self-driving car project in December 2016 and has a strong focus on safety, having logged over 127 million miles of fully autonomous operation with a 90% reduction in serious injury crashes [4][6] - The technology stack used in Waymo's robotaxis, known as the "Waymo Driver," includes advanced hardware such as cameras, lidar, radar, and external audio receivers, along with detailed custom maps and real-time sensor data for precise navigation [5]