Uber’s robotaxi lobbying effort puts it on a collision course with Waymo

As speculation swirls over when Uber and Waymo’s existing partnerships in Austin or Atlanta will implode, both companies are gearing up for a regulatory fight that appears poised to spill into other cities and states.

Uber is betting, and lobbying for, a different future than the one Waymo envisions.

“We think the future of our transportation system will be hybrid,” Uber’s head of AV policy Harry Hartfield said in testimony submitted ahead of Monday’s meeting. “Public policy should be designed around that reality, not around an AV-only future that does not exist.”