Waymo Raises $16 Billion to Expand Robotaxi Fleet, Adobe Animate Shutting Down, and More
Alphabet-owned autonomous vehicle company Waymo announced Monday it raised $16 billion to scale its robotaxi fleet internationally. Meanwhile, Adobe revealed plans to discontinue its 2D animation software, Adobe Animate, by March 1, 2026, as the company focuses on AI. In other news, China implemented new safety rules banning hidden car door handles, and two Stanford students launched a $2 million startup accelerator for student-led businesses.
Waymo plans to use the funding to expand its driverless taxicab service to more than a dozen new cities internationally this year, including London and Tokyo, according to a company blog post. The funding round was led by Dragoneer Investment Group, DST Global, and Sequoia Capital, valuing Waymo at $126 billion. Parent company Alphabet maintained its position as majority investor, with significant investments also coming from Andreessen Horowitz, Mubadala Capital, Bessemer Venture Partners, Silver Lake, Tiger Global, and T. Rowe Price. Additional investors included BDT MSD Partners, CapitalG, Fidelity Management & Research Company, GV, Kleiner Perkins, Perry Creek Capital, and Temasek.
Adobe's decision to shut down Adobe Animate by March 1, 2026, has been met with criticism from users concerned about the lack of suitable alternatives. Enterprise customers will receive technical support through March 1, 2029, while other customers will have support through March of next year, the company stated. One customer pleaded with Adobe on X to open source the software rather than abandon it.
In China, new safety regulations set to take effect on January 1, 2027, will prohibit hidden, electronically actuated door handles, a design feature popularized by Tesla and now common on many electric vehicles. According to the new rules published by China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, all cars sold in the country must have mechanical releases on their door handles. Each door, excluding the tailgate, must be equipped with a mechanically released external door handle, and vehicles must also have a mechanical release on the interior. Bloomberg previously reported on the new safety policy, which follows numerous high-profile fatal incidents involving trapped occupants.
Two Stanford students, Roman Scott and Itbaan Nafi, announced the launch of Breakthrough Ventures, a $2 million accelerator program aimed at funding businesses founded by college students and recent graduates nationwide. Nafi, a masters candidate at Stanford, told TechCrunch that the fundraise would transform Breakthrough from a seasonal accelerator into a lifelong partnership with its founders. Scott, who received his undergraduate degree from Stanford in 2024 and a masters degree the following year, and Nafi began building the accelerator program after hosting a series of Demo Days at Stanford starting in 2024. Raihan Ahmed was tapped to lead the accelerator early last year.
Euronews reported on these and other top news stories in its February 2nd, 2026, evening news bulletin.
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