Alphabet Inc’s (NASDAQ: GOOGL) (NASDAQ: GOOG) self-driving unit Waymo said Thursday it is opening its driverless service to the general public.What Happened: The driverless offering of Waymo would be available beginning Thursday — initially available to those part of Waymo One, the company’s CEO John Krafcik said in a statement.The robo-taxi service is available in Phoenix, Arizona and service will be expanded to all users of its app — which can be downloaded from Google Play or Apple Inc’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) App Store — in the coming weeks, said Krafcik.Why It Matters: Waymo is expected to launch the service only with driverless cars in a larger 100 square mile area in Phoenix using Pacifica minivans made by partner Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (NYSE: FCAU), reported Reuters.Some vehicles will reportedly still have attendants on board.This year, the Google self-driving unit announced two partnerships centered on self-driving, one which deepens the existing relationship with Fiat Chrysler, and another new one with Volvo Cars Group.In June, Amazon.com, Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN) purchased rival firm Zoox for $1 billion. The Jeff Bezos-led company is offering $100 million in stock inducements to retain talent at Zoox post-acquisition. Uber Inc (NASDAQ: UBER) self-driving efforts were met with a setback after a collision left a pedestrian dead in 2018; the back-up driver for the vehicle was charged with negligent homicide last month, BBC reported.Rival Lyft Inc. (NASDAQ: LYFT) resumed self-driving vehicle testing on public roads in California in July after remaining paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Price Action: Alphabet Class A shares closed 1.66% higher at $1,483.43 and Class C shares closed 1.76% higher at $1,485.93 on Thursday.Photo by Dllu via WikimediaSee more from Benzinga * Options Trades For This Crazy Market: Get Benzinga Options to Follow High-Conviction Trade Ideas * Facebook To Kill All QAnon Accounts In Run Up To US Election * Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Google Stamping Out Rivals, Stifling Innovation, House Antitrust Investigation Concludes(C) 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.,
Alphabet Inc’s (NASDAQ: GOOGL) (NASDAQ: GOOG) self-driving unit Waymo said Thursday it is opening its driverless service to the general public.What Happened: The driverless offering of Waymo would be available beginning Thursday — initially available to those part of Waymo One, the company’s CEO John Krafcik said in a statement.The robo-taxi service is available in Phoenix, Arizona and service will be expanded to all users of its app — which can be downloaded from Google Play or Apple Inc’s (NASDAQ: AAPL) App Store — in the coming weeks, said Krafcik.Why It Matters: Waymo is expected to launch the service only with driverless cars in a larger 100 square mile area in Phoenix using Pacifica minivans made by partner Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (NYSE: FCAU), reported Reuters.Some vehicles will reportedly still have attendants on board.This year, the Google self-driving unit announced two partnerships centered on self-driving, one which deepens the existing relationship with Fiat Chrysler, and another new one with Volvo Cars Group.In June, Amazon.com, Inc (NASDAQ: AMZN) purchased rival firm Zoox for $1 billion. The Jeff Bezos-led company is offering $100 million in stock inducements to retain talent at Zoox post-acquisition. Uber Inc (NASDAQ: UBER) self-driving efforts were met with a setback after a collision left a pedestrian dead in 2018; the back-up driver for the vehicle was charged with negligent homicide last month, BBC reported.Rival Lyft Inc. (NASDAQ: LYFT) resumed self-driving vehicle testing on public roads in California in July after remaining paused due to the COVID-19 pandemic.Price Action: Alphabet Class A shares closed 1.66% higher at $1,483.43 and Class C shares closed 1.76% higher at $1,485.93 on Thursday.Photo by Dllu via WikimediaSee more from Benzinga * Options Trades For This Crazy Market: Get Benzinga Options to Follow High-Conviction Trade Ideas * Facebook To Kill All QAnon Accounts In Run Up To US Election * Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Google Stamping Out Rivals, Stifling Innovation, House Antitrust Investigation Concludes(C) 2020 Benzinga.com. Benzinga does not provide investment advice. All rights reserved.
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