Waabi Raises $1 Billion, Partners with Uber for Robotaxi Deployment
Autonomous vehicle startup Waabi secured $1 billion in funding and announced a partnership with Uber to deploy self-driving cars on the ride-hailing platform, marking its expansion beyond autonomous trucking, according to TechCrunch. The funding included an oversubscribed $750 million Series C round co-led by Khosla Ventures and G2 Venture Partners, along with roughly $250 million in milestone-based capital from Uber.
The partnership aimed to deploy 25,000 or more Waabi Driver-powered robotaxis exclusively on the Uber platform. However, the companies did not provide a specific timeline for the large-scale deployment. This collaboration represented a significant bet that Waabi's AI technology could succeed in scaling across multiple self-driving verticals using a single technology stack, a feat where competitors like Waymo previously faced challenges.
In other news from the tech giant, Google expanded its AI-powered learning tools by introducing full-length practice tests in Gemini for the Joint Entrance Exam (JEE), India's nationwide engineering exam. According to TechCrunch, millions of students take the JEE each year to gain admission to top technical institutes in India. Google stated that Gemini would offer questions based on vetted content from Indian education firms PhysicsWallah and Careers360. This launch followed the recent rollout of similar test-prep tools for the SAT. Gemini provides immediate feedback, highlighting areas of strength and areas needing further study, explaining correct answers, and helping students generate study plans.
Google also extended the availability of its AI-powered photo editing feature to more countries, including Australia, India, and Japan, TechCrunch reported. This feature, initially launched for Pixel 10 users in the U.S. in August, allows users to make photo edits using simple text commands instead of manual adjustments. Users in the newly supported countries would see a "Help me Edit" box when editing a photo, allowing them to select from suggested prompts or type their own requests in plain language.
Meanwhile, ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, restructured its U.S. operations by establishing a separate American entity to address data privacy and foreign control concerns, according to TechCrunch. This move followed years of pressure from lawmakers who feared the Chinese government's potential access to American user data. In 2024, Congress enacted a law mandating the separation of TikTok's U.S. operations from ByteDance. Under the new structure, approximately 80% of the U.S. TikTok entity is owned by non-Chinese investors, with ByteDance retaining a 19.9% share. The newly formed entity, TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, licenses TikTok's recommendation algorithm from ByteDance and independently manages content moderation and data protection.
Finally, a viral personal AI assistant, initially named Clawdbot, gained significant attention before changing its name to Moltbot due to a legal challenge from Anthropic, TechCrunch reported. Moltbot, according to its tagline, is "the AI that actually does things," managing calendars, sending messages, and checking users in for flights. The AI assistant was created by Peter Steinberger, an Austrian developer and founder, as a personal project.
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