Uber Goes All-In On Robotaxis

Jalopnik ^ | April 15, 2026 | Amber Dasilva

[Miami Rebel]

Uber has done its best to kill taxis, and now it's turning on drivers — starting with the drivers on its own app. The company is putting $10 billion into buying either robotaxi fleets or stakes in robotaxi companies, in hopes of cutting those pesky drivers out of its profit margins. From Reuters: 

Uber has committed more than $10 ​billion to buying thousands of autonomous vehicles ‌and taking stakes in their developers, breaking from its asset-light "gig economy" business model to avoid disruption from robotaxis, ​the Financial Times reported on Wednesday.

Reuters could ​not immediately verify the report. Uber did not immediately ⁠respond to a Reuters request for comment.

​Uber is positioning itself as a marketplace for ​multiple robotaxi operators, and has partnered across much of the autonomous vehicle industry, including with, Baidu, Rivian and Lucid, and ​has outlined plans to launch robotaxi services in ​at least 28 cities by 2028.

These deals put Uber ‌on ⁠track to invest more than $2.5 billion in equity stakes and spend over $7.5 billion on robotaxi fleets in the next few years, FT reported citing their ​calculations based ​on analyst ⁠estimates and people familiar with Uber's deals. The agreements are contingent on ​its partners hitting certain deployment milestones.

Between Uber and Waymo, we may soon reach a point where we can hire a rideshare without a cent of our fare ever having to go to a real human person. Won't that be nice? When no one can afford groceries any more, because we've all been made redundant by the companies that built their profits on our labor?

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TOPICS: Business/Economy
KEYWORDS: automotive; robotaxi; taxis; uber

[Resolute Conservative]

Never been in an uber, never will if I can help it.

[Fai Mao]

This means no more expected tips! Yah!

[dfwgator]

“How did I get in this taxi?”

[AnotherUnixGeek]

Who exactly is going to buy all these goods and services automation produces when everyone is out of work due to automation? People like Elon (who I respect a great deal) talk about AI making everyone rich, but there’s a lot of hand-waving involved and no specifics on how AI is going to make anyone rich, aside from Elon Musk, Jensen Huang, Aravind Srinivas, Sam Altman and a few others.

[Secret Agent Man]

Its not going to work out as they think it will. They will most likely regret the move.

[Beowulf9]

Saw that coming.

[Samurai_Jack]

They have to deploy it into ‘select’ markets in order to be successful. Like, they could deploy it in a town where people get prosecuted for criminal actions. But they couldnt have these downtown in baltimore, or in detroit. They would instantly be destroyed.

[Poison Pill]

Its not going to work out as they think it will. They will most likely regret the move.

They don't control the cost curve so they don't really have a choice. Eat or be eaten.

[Opinionated Blowhard]

So far, I’ve seen articles about criminals blocking the scanners on robotaxis so that the taxis will stop and then robbing the passengers. I read an article about a robotaxi where the door locked and the passenger couldn’t get out. They allegedly have a connection with a live person who can address problems but I’ve read that the live person is in the Philippines and can’t speak English. I’ve personally seen robotaxis making illegal u-turns in the middle of busy city streets. I’ll pass.

[Secret Agent Man]

They have underestimated damage, breakdown, even people leaving doors open which disable the thing from moving, the overal stupidity of people that will/claim to be hurt by these things, plus lawsuits from errors the vehicle makes while driving that hurt passengers. Further they will become petri dishes of filth and legal issues will arise from this as well.

Its not going to work out the way they think it is.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

I am suddenly seeing a lot of these around Palo Alto, Los Altos, and Mountain View, CA:

I was behind one last week that stopped for a school cross walk and suddenly made an unexpected left turn...right in front of an on-coming car! I don't know if there was a "safety driver" behind the wheel, but that move sure got my attention. I thought an accident was going to happen for sure. The on-coming driver abruptly stopped to avoid the accident.

Lucid, Nuro, and Uber Choose SF Bay Area for Next-Generation Robotaxi Program
November 25, 2025
Lucid article/press release

Lucid joined Uber and Nuro in July 2025 to launch the first next-generation global robotaxi program designed exclusively for the Uber network and redefining the future of autonomous luxury ride-hailing.

Bringing together the comfort, spaciousness and technology of the Lucid Gravity, the scalability and proven capability of the Nuro Driver™ Level 4 autonomy system, and Uber’s vast global marketplace, we are set to deliver a robotaxi offering unlike anything else on the road today.

Since the announcement this summer, our collective teams have been hard at work accelerating this joint program and preparing for its expected launch later next year. In September, our team reached a key milestone as we delivered the first vehicles in the engineering fleet to Nuro for testing and validation.

In the months ahead, more Nuro-driven Lucid Gravity test vehicles will undergo closed-course testing, and supervised on-road development across the San Francisco Bay Area and Nuro’s test track in Las Vegas. This is how our teams are prioritizing safety in complex real-world environments so that riders can step into a Lucid Gravity and focus on enjoying the experience around them.

After completing validation, our teams will first launch our service in the San Francisco Bay Area. Lucid has always celebrated its California roots and we couldn’t be more excited to offer the first glimpse of this service in an area that has played such a critical role in shaping our vehicles and in-car experience.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

"Who exactly is going to buy all these goods and services automation produces when everyone is out of work due to automation?"

Lots of people asking that exact question. I posted a couple of articles on that topic this week:

The Future of Capitalism, Work and Society>
X ^ | April 14, 2026 | Mo Gawdat (interview); Dustin

The AI Layoff Trap
Economics > Theoretical Economics ^ | March 21, 2026 | Brett Hemenway Falk, Gerry Tsoukalas

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It's a weird game...so many companies rushing for this "next big thing land grab" but, in the end, if "successful", nobody will have any income to buy anything and these companies will be out of business.

I've yet to read a good solution to this dilemma.

[Ronaldus Magnus III]

I’ve personally seen Robotaxis making illegal u-turns in the middle of busy city streets.

Last year we ended up in San Francisco for an afternoon. Every time I was driving and came near a Robotaxi, I watched which way it went, and turned away from it. I did not mind Hoi around the block to avoid the insanity.

In our present town/neighborhood, when we come to a four-way stop, we often wave each other through the intersection ("you go first"). No, not everyone is that courteous; but most.

How do you "wave on" a driverless car?

[Made In The USA]

Beat me to it, that’s the consumer upside.

Unless robotaxi decides to veer off into the oncoming lane, then not so much.

[TexasGator]

“How do you “wave on” a driverless car?”

Are you referring to the car that did not race through the intersection?

[TexasGator]

The market loves this move. Stock uo 5% today.

[TexasGator]

The market loves this move. Stock uo 5% today.

[TexasGator]

Your point?

[Resolute Conservative]

No robots or AI. I still read maps, drive myself, and find my own way around. Go when I want, leave when I want.