Uber is pushing ahead with an ambitious plan to build a massive autonomous vehicle fleet, and CEO Dara Khosrowshahi says the company is ready to put $10 billion behind that vision over the next few years. The ride-hailing giant wants to become the world's leading commercialization platform for autonomous vehicles, but it also wants to avoid the public backlash that has come to define the broader artificial intelligence boom.

The comments came as Uber reported quarterly earnings and updated investors on its AV strategy. Khosrowshahi said progress is already visible: autonomous vehicles are live on Uber in 7 cities, and the company is on track to have them in as many as 15 cities by the end of the year. That rapid expansion is only the beginning. Uber plans to grow its AV operations to 28 cities globally by the end of 2028.

Key Facts

• Uber plans to commit over $10 billion over the next few years to bring autonomous vehicles to market at scale.
• AVs are currently live on Uber in 7 cities, with as many as 15 expected by year-end.
• Uber aims to expand AV operations to 28 cities globally by the end of 2028.
• The company has partnered with more than 30 companies, including Wayve, which recently secured a London permit for a joint robotaxi service.
• Khosrowshahi says AV adoption should be slower and more deliberate than AI to avoid public blowback.
• Uber is opposing a Washington, D.C. bill that would allow robotaxi operations, while partner Waymo supports it.

Khosrowshahi stressed that some of the new capital will go into building the necessary infrastructure before putting autonomous vehicles on the roads en masse. Another good portion of that investment will go towards expanding the vehicles' service areas globally. The company's stated ambition is straightforward: to become the world's leading commercialization platform for autonomous vehicles. That means not only operating its own fleet but also providing the marketplace, routing, payments, and customer support that make robotaxis practical for everyday riders.

The scale of the rollout is striking. Going from 7 cities to 15 by year-end is already a rapid acceleration, but the 2028 target would have the company quadruple its operations in less than three years. That kind of growth will require not just vehicles and software, but also charging hubs, maintenance facilities, mapping data, and local partnerships with regulators and city officials. Uber has teamed up with more than 30 companies in this effort, spanning automakers, AV technology firms, fleet operators, and infrastructure providers.

One of those partners, Wayve, recently secured a permit to begin rolling out a joint robotaxi service in London. That marks a significant step for Uber's international AV ambitions, as London is one of the most demanding and complex urban environments in the world. Navigating narrow streets, heavy pedestrian traffic, and strict regulatory oversight will test whether autonomous systems can truly handle the range of real-world driving scenarios that global cities present. A successful London launch could serve as a template for other dense European and Asian markets.

Autonomous driving is widely seen as an existential matter for Uber. The company's core ride-hailing business depends on human drivers who supply their own vehicles and cover the bulk of operating costs. If robotaxi services become more commonplace, competitors like Waymo could undercut Uber on price and convenience, putting a significant strain on its traditional network. Backed by early evidence, Uber investors fear that this transition could erode the company's market share and make its human-driver model less relevant. That pressure helps explain why Uber is moving so aggressively to build its own AV ecosystem rather than waiting for disruption to arrive.

Khosrowshahi acknowledged that while autonomous vehicles have performed well in the markets where they've been introduced, they've also had their fair share of issues. This is a delicate admission for a company whose future increasingly depends on AV technology. The CEO indicated that the path to adoption should be slower and 'more deliberate' than the rapid trajectory the broader AI industry has taken in the last couple of years. He argued that this more cautious approach is ultimately for the better, because it gives companies time to address safety concerns, build public trust, and establish responsible regulation.

Khosrowshahi's reference to the AI industry was pointed. The AI sector has been building data centers at an unprecedented scale, often at the apparent expense of local communities. Residents near new data center campuses have complained about negative health effects from diesel generators and cooling systems, economic disruption from rising energy costs, environmental damage from water consumption and land use, and the social impact of large industrial facilities appearing in residential areas. The reliance on non-disclosure agreements between AI and data center infrastructure companies and local governments has also fueled resentment, as communities feel they are being left in the dark about projects that will shape their neighborhoods for decades.

That public blowback has become a major challenge for the AI industry, and Uber clearly wants to avoid a similar fate for autonomous vehicles. Khosrowshahi said there needs to be smart regulation and dialogue with shareholders, local officials, and the public so that innovation can go forward in a sustainable way. He argued that AV regulation should be driven in a manner that doesn't create the same kind of backlash now seen across the data center buildout. This suggests Uber is trying to position itself as a cooperative actor in cities, rather than a corporate force that steamrolls local concerns.

For what it's worth, some of that appeal for more regulation probably has to do with the current regulatory fight Uber and its partner-competitor Waymo have found themselves stuck in with Washington. Uber is strictly opposing a bill that would allow robotaxi operations in D.C. and which Waymo supports. Uber argues that the bill would displace human drivers working on ride-hailing platforms like its own. This puts Uber in a complicated position: it wants to deploy its own AVs widely, but it is also fighting to protect the human drivers who still form the backbone of its existing business in many cities.

The relationship between Uber and Waymo is similarly complicated. They are exclusive partners in robotaxi services offered in several American cities, but recent reports point towards a rift and a looming break-up set to drop in January 2028. Waymo reportedly wants to operate robotaxis in its own app instead of relying on Uber's platform. Khosrowshahi tried to address those concerns on the earnings call as well, calling Waymo a 'very, very important partner' and noting that the two companies continue to operate together in Austin and Atlanta. At the same time, he emphasized that Uber does not want to be dependent on any single partner, pointing to the 'plethora of newer players' emerging in the AV ecosystem.

That desire for independence is understandable. If Uber becomes too reliant on Waymo, it could be left without a competitive edge if Waymo decides to go direct to consumers. By diversifying across multiple AV partners and building its own infrastructure and software stack, Uber hopes to remain the indispensable platform for autonomous ride-hailing, regardless of which company is supplying the vehicles. This multi-partner strategy also gives Uber leverage in negotiations and allows it to market-test different technologies in different cities.

Khosrowshahi's remarks about the need for slower, more deliberate AV adoption may also reflect a broader recognition that public trust is the single most important commodity for autonomous vehicles. A single high-profile accident or a widely publicized service disruption could set the industry back years. Even with careful rollout, robotaxis have encountered issues: unexpected stops, traffic jams, interactions with emergency vehicles, and occasional collisions. The AV industry cannot afford to become a political lightning rod the way data centers have, because it depends on local political support, road access, and passengers who voluntarily choose to ride in driverless cars.

The $10 billion investment is a bold bet that autonomous vehicles will reshape urban mobility within the next decade. But it is also a bet that public opinion can be managed, regulation can be shaped, and the mistakes of the AI infrastructure boom can be avoided. Uber's executives understand that the technology is only part of the equation; social license is just as critical. The company's goal is not merely to be the first to scale robotaxis, but to do so in a way that doesn't trigger the kind of resistance that has plagued other technology expansion efforts.

With autonomous vehicles already operating in multiple cities and dozens of partners signed on, Uber is clearly moving fast. Yet the CEO's language suggests a leader who has learned from the broader tech industry's recent mistakes. Whether Uber can truly balance speed with deliberation remains to be seen. The next few years will reveal whether the company can build its giant robotaxi fleet without repeating the very patterns of public backlash it now says it wants to avoid.

Source: Gizmodo News