Alphabet Inc.'s (NASDAQ:GOOGL) Waymo picked up unexpected praise from Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) bull Ross Gerber after a real-world Los Angeles ride, highlighting the self-driving unit's growing traction as it ramps up robotaxi testing and expansion across the U.S.
Ross Gerber Gives Waymo An ‘A'
On Thursday, Gerber Kawasaki co-founder shared his experience on X, formerly Twitter, after a 42-minute Waymo ride through Hollywood, Beverly Hills and the Pacific Palisades.
"I give it an A," Gerber wrote, noting that the car "drove confidently through 3 quite challenging challenges" and impressed him with its clean interior.
"Not to mention the car is clean and doesn't smell like an Uber," he added, tagging Uber Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:UBER) and $GOOG in his post.
The endorsement drew attention because Gerber has long been a vocal supporter of Tesla, a company preparing its own robotaxi rollout.
Waymo Expands Footprint With Airport, NYC Testing
Earlier this month, Waymo announced it had secured approval to begin operations at San Jose airport, starting with tests using safety drivers before launching commercially later this year.
The company also received its first permit in New York City on Aug. 22, authorizing tests in Manhattan and Downtown Brooklyn. It will operate eight vehicles in the city through September, building on previous expansions in Austin, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
10 Million Paid Rides And Counting
Alphabet's self-driving division hit a major milestone in May, surpassing 10 million paid robotaxi rides across cities like Phoenix, Austin, San Francisco and Los Angeles.
The company in April disclosed it completed more than 250,000 paid trips in a single week and announced a partnership with Toyota Motor Corp. (NYSE:TM) to develop autonomous tech for personal vehicles.
Tesla, Uber Competition Heating Up
Tesla launched its long-awaited Robotaxi app on Apple Inc.'s (NASDAQ:AAPL) App Store, quickly outpacing Uber’s download record during its first 30 days.
However, the app requires users to join a waitlist before accessing rides in San Jose.
Alphabet Class A shares closed at $240.37 on Thursday, up 0.50%, while Class C shares gained 0.51% reaching $240.78. Tesla was up 6.04% to $368.81, while Uber rose 0.50% to $94.68, according to Benzinga Pro.
Benzinga's Edge Stock Rankings show that GOOG maintains a consistent upward trajectory across short, medium and long-term horizons, with more in-depth performance insights available here.
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Photo Courtesy: Karolis Kavolelis from Shutterstock
Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
