Waymo LLC
From Google's driving project to a passenger service, Waymo builds the technology that takes the driving role.1
Waymo LLC is the business behind both the Waymo Driver and the ride service carrying its name. That distinction helps explain what a customer is choosing: a trip in an operated fleet, while the driving technology is a separate part of the vehicle. Alphabet is its majority investor, but Waymo has also raised outside capital.1278
Visit Waymo LLC ↗From a research team to a ride
The work began as Google's self-driving car project in 2009. Waymo's own history dates the creation of the separate company under Alphabet to 2016. Keeping both dates matters: one marks the start of the technical project, the other the business identity people now encounter on a car or in an app.1
Google's early team had experience from autonomous-vehicle competitions. Sebastian Thrun's 2010 announcement named Chris Urmson, Mike Montemerlo and Anthony Levandowski among the engineers. Waymo identifies current co-CEO Dmitri Dolgov as one of the original project's founders. His earlier work included Toyota and Stanford's DARPA Urban Challenge team; he later served as Waymo's chief technology officer.134
Dolgov shares the chief executive role with Tekedra Mawakana. Waymo One launched in Metro Phoenix in 2018. In 2020, Waymo opened rides without a driver in the vehicle to the public there, a further step in the service’s development.1
One Driver, different vehicles
The Waymo Driver combines driving software with sensors and onboard computing. Waymo's fleet material identifies the Jaguar I-PACE with the fifth-generation Driver and the Ojai with the sixth. The company announced employee and guest trips in the sixth-generation Ojai in February 2026, then described majority-Ojai fleets in Las Vegas, Denver and San Diego in September.791011
Technology and products
The Waymo Driver is the technology, the ride service is what a passenger books, and the I-PACE and Ojai are the vehicles people ride in. Each has its own profile below.1789
Waymo Driver
The Driver is the technology doing the driving, combining software, sensors and onboard computing. Its profile explains the system separately from the car and the ride.7
Waymo-equipped Jaguar I-PACE
The I-PACE is a vehicle platform equipped with the fifth-generation Waymo Driver. Its fleet configuration is distinct from an ordinary retail car. Ojai uses the sixth-generation Driver, with its own rollout history.9
Start with the journey
For a family, the useful question is whether the service can make a particular journey easier. Start with the pickup and destination, then the people travelling and anything they need to carry. The service profile covers booking, child seats, airport access and mobility needs. A company's geographic ambitions are less useful for tomorrow's trip than the route and conditions available in the app.8
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Self-driving and future vehicles
Compare a vehicle, its driving system and the service around it.
Waymo Driver
The driving technology and its operating context.
Waymo ride service
Booking, coverage and considerations for passengers.
Waymo-equipped Jaguar I-PACE
The equipped fleet vehicle, separate from the Driver and service.
Waymo Ojai
The Ojai fleet vehicle, including its initial and silver versions.
Sources and notes
- Waymo history and leadership
Waymo dates Google’s driving project to 2009 and its establishment as a separate Alphabet company to 2016. Its timeline also records the 2018 Waymo One launch and public rider-only access in Phoenix in 2020. These are different milestones, not one universal service launch or a legal incorporation date. Source checked 2026-10-26.
- Waymo February equity financing
Waymo’s February 2, 2026 announcement reports a US$16 billion equity round at a US$126 billion post-money valuation. Alphabet remains the majority investor alongside outside investors. The valuation belongs to that transaction; it is not a current market price or revenue figure. Includes reported information. Source checked 2026-10-26.
- Dmitri Dolgov biography
Waymo identifies Dmitri Dolgov as one of the original project’s founders and describes his earlier work at Toyota and Stanford, followed by his role as Waymo CTO. His biography does not enumerate all project founders. Source checked 2026-10-26.
- What we are driving at
Sebastian Thrun’s October 2010 account names engineers involved in Google’s early driving work. Named contributors should not be read as an exclusive roster of legal company founders. Source checked 2026-10-26.
- Waymo October debt financing
Waymo’s October 8, 2026 announcement describes a US$5 billion term loan and names PIMCO, Blackstone and Sixth Street as lead syndicated lenders. Debt is separate from equity financing, revenue and operating cash flow. The announcement does not establish a complete lifetime funding total. Includes reported information. Source checked 2026-10-26.
- Alphabet Q2 2026 release
The July 22 release covers April 1 to June 30, 2026. Alphabet’s Other Bets segment includes businesses beyond Waymo and supplies no Waymo-only revenue figure. The financing amounts on this page come from Waymo’s separate equity and debt announcements. Source checked 2026-10-26.
- Waymo Driver
Waymo describes the Driver as integrated driving software, sensors and computing. The system’s role is separate from the vehicle and the passenger service. This source does not establish every installed version, operating condition or vehicle configuration. Source checked 2026-10-26.
- Waymo rides
Waymo’s rider page distinguishes service locations from planned markets and identifies booking channels. A city name is not a promise of coverage on every street, and partner-app terms may differ from direct Waymo bookings. Source checked 2026-10-26.
- Waymo FAQ
The FAQ identifies the I-PACE and Ojai technology-generation associations. Those family descriptions do not establish the fleet mix in every city. Dated rollout announcements provide the historical stages described here. Source checked 2026-10-26.
- Sixth-generation Driver begins fully autonomous operations
The February 12, 2026 announcement describes sixth-generation Ojai operations for employees and guests. That restricted launch is a historical stage, not evidence that every passenger could book a ride then. Source checked 2026-10-26.
- Waymo Las Vegas launch
Waymo’s September 14, 2026 announcement describes majority-Ojai fleets in Las Vegas, Denver and San Diego. This is a dated company report, not an exclusive fleet assignment or a current vehicle count. Includes reported information. Source checked 2026-10-26.
We use official disclosures and other identified sources. Company claims are attributed; these profiles do not represent hands-on product testing. Our editorial and AI-use policy.
