Ford CEO Jim Farley says Waymo’s approach to self driving makes more sense than Tesla’s. Ford has said it plans to partner with a self-driving software company once the technology is farther along.
Ark Invest Brett Winton believes in the negotiations between Ford and Waymo and Ford and Tesla, that Tesla wants Ford to pay Tesla to use the Tesla self driving system while Waymo is willing to pay Ford to use the Waymo technology. Ford has not yet committed to either systems and is waiting for the systems to further mature.
Ford has a market valuation of $43 billion. Ford has a net income of $5 billion.
Waymo is owned by Google. Google has a valuation of $2.16 trillion. In October 2024, Waymo raised $5.6 billion at a valuation of $45 billion.
Tesla has a valuation of $1.04 trillion.
Translation:
-Waymo wants to pay us
-Tesla wants us to pay them https://t.co/hTZHdzTIid— Brett Winton (@wintonARK) June 28, 2025
Waymo’s $5.6 billion cash infusion provides a runway of 2.5–4 years at current burn rates. This means 1.5-3 years left at this point. To reach breakeven, Waymo must increase its paid ride volume and fleet size by approximately 6–7 times, reaching 17–22 million rides per quarter and operating 6,000–15,000 vehicles. Significant improvements in operational efficiency, higher revenue per ride, or reduced costs would be required to accelerate breakeven or extend runway further. If there is more competition from Tesla and other companies, then the margins and per ride revenue could shrink and make breakeven impossible.
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a Co-Founder of a startup and fundraiser for high potential early-stage companies. He is the Head of Research for Allocations for deep technology investments and an Angel Investor at Space Angels.
A frequent speaker at corporations, he has been a TEDx speaker, a Singularity University speaker and guest at numerous interviews for radio and podcasts. He is open to public speaking and advising engagements.
