Waymo doubles spending on lobbying in robotaxi battle with Uber

Waymo increased its federal lobbying budget to over $1 million in the first quarter of 2024, more than doubling the amount spent a year earlier. The spend now rivals Uber’s lobbying outlay and exceeds that of competitors such as Amazon’s Zoox and Tesla. Waymo is lobbying for a faster approval of fully driverless commercial services, while Uber supports a staggered rollout that keeps human drivers in the mix.