Former Uber CEO says Waymo is 'obviously' ahead of Tesla in robotaxi race and shares what needs to happen for Tesla to overtake
Published on Mar 22, 2026 at 8:38 PM (UTC+4)
by Molly Davidson
Last updated on Mar 20, 2026 at 6:58 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
Travis Kalanick has weighed in on the robotaxi race, and he’s taken a pretty strong stance.
The former Uber CEO says one company is already ahead.
The other is still trying to get there.
And right now, the gap is quite substantial.
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Waymo is ahead in the robotaxi race, says Travis Kalanick
Speaking on the All-In podcast, Kalanick said Waymo is ‘obviously’ in front, and his reasoning comes down to what’s already happening on the ground.
Waymo isn’t testing anymore, it’s operating.
The company is running fully driverless rides across 10 US cities and delivering around 400,000 paid trips every week, with plans to scale that even further.
That matters because it shows the core system works.
Waymo’s setup uses a mix of cameras, LiDAR, and radar, and in Kalanick’s view, it’s already proven it can handle real-world driving.
So the challenge now isn’t whether it works, it’s how fast it can expand.
That’s a very different problem to have.
The former Uber CEO’s advice to Tesla to catch up
Tesla is coming at the same problem from a completely different angle, and that’s where things start to diverge.
Instead of using multiple sensors, Tesla is relying on cameras alone, powered by AI.
It’s a simpler setup and, if it works, far easier to scale across millions of cars.
But right now, it hasn’t reached the same level as Waymo.
Tesla’s robotaxi rollout is still limited, with a small number of vehicles operating in Austin and many of them running with safety supervisors on board.
So while the long-term idea is clear, the system isn’t there yet.
That’s the gap Kalanick is pointing to.
Waymo is already building on something that works, while Tesla is still trying to prove that its approach can get there at all.
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With roles at TEXT Journal, Bowen Street Press, Onya Magazine, and Swine Magazine on her CV, Molly joined Supercar Blondie in June 2025 as a Junior Content Writer. Having experience across copyediting, proofreading, reference checking, and production, she brings accuracy, clarity, and audience focus to her stories spanning automotive, tech, and lifestyle news.
