Who Owns Waymo? It’s Not Just Google Anymore

Waymo is owned mostly by Alphabet Inc., the parent company of Google. Alphabet is Waymo’s majority shareholder, but it no longer owns 100% of the company. Since 2020, outside investors such as Sequoia Capital, Silver Lake, and Andreessen Horowitz have bought minority stakes.

Waymo started inside Google in 2009 and is now a separate company within the Alphabet group. Below, you will find how much Alphabet owns, who the outside investors are, how Waymo raised about $27 billion, and who actually builds its robotaxis.

Key Takeaways

• Alphabet, Google’s parent company, is Waymo’s majority owner; the exact percentage has never been made public.
• Waymo has raised about $27 billion in equity, including $16 billion at a $126 billion valuation in February 2026.
• Two of Waymo’s “outside” investors, GV and CapitalG, are Alphabet’s own investment funds.
• Waymo is private, so you cannot buy its stock; the closest option is Alphabet stock.
• Waymo does not build its own cars: it adds its self-driving system to vehicles from Jaguar, Zeekr, and Hyundai.

Is Waymo Owned by Google?

Not directly. Waymo and Google are sister companies, and both belong to Alphabet. Alphabet was created in 2015 as a holding company for Google and its other businesses, which it calls “Other Bets.”

When did Waymo split from Google? Waymo began in 2009 as the Google Self-Driving Car Project inside Google X, the company’s research lab. It became a stand-alone Alphabet company named Waymo in December 2016.

Who founded Waymo? The project was started in 2009 under Sebastian Thrun, a Stanford robotics professor who also helped create Google X. Waymo’s first CEO, John Krafcik, joined in 2015 and led the company through its first paid rides.

That history is why most people still call Waymo “Google’s self-driving car.” The technology and early staff came from Google, but the business now reports to Alphabet.

How Much of Waymo Does Alphabet Own?

Alphabet is Waymo’s majority shareholder, which means it owns more than half. Waymo described Alphabet as its “majority shareholder” when it announced its February 2026 funding round.

The exact percentage is not public. Waymo is a private company, so it does not have to disclose its ownership table, and Alphabet does not report its Waymo stake as a separate figure. Some websites claim Alphabet owns about 80%, but none cite a filing or official source for that number.

Why does Alphabet still pay for Waymo? Self-driving cars cost a lot to build and test. Alphabet’s Other Bets segment, which includes Waymo, lost $1.8 billion in the second quarter of 2026 alone. Alphabet has led or joined every major Waymo funding round, which keeps its majority control in place.

Who Are Waymo’s Outside Investors?

Waymo first took outside money in 2020. Since then, it has added pension funds, venture capital firms, and sovereign wealth funds.

Are GV and CapitalG outside investors? No. GV (formerly Google Ventures) and CapitalG are Alphabet’s own investment funds. When they invest in Waymo, the money still comes from the Alphabet family, so their stakes add to Alphabet’s control rather than reduce it.

How Much Money Has Waymo Raised?

Waymo has raised about $27 billion in equity across four major rounds, plus a large loan in 2026.

Who is the biggest investor in Waymo? Alphabet. It owns the majority of Waymo and led the 2024 round. No outside investor has disclosed a stake anywhere near Alphabet’s.

The growth in valuation, from about $45 billion in 2024 to $126 billion in 2026, follows the growth of Waymo’s paid service. Waymo gave more than 500,000 paid rides a week in spring 2026, according to Alphabet, and it now operates in 15 US metro areas.

Who Makes Waymo Cars?

Waymo does not manufacture cars. It buys vehicles from carmakers and adds its own self-driving system, called the Waymo Driver, which uses cameras, lidar, and radar.

The self-driving hardware is installed at a factory in Mesa, Arizona, run with Canadian supplier Magna, which opened in May 2025. Waymo’s fleet reached about 4,000 vehicles by September 2026, according to TechCrunch.

Why does Waymo use a Chinese-built van? Zeekr, a brand owned by China’s Geely, builds the Ojai as a purpose-designed robotaxi. This has drawn attention in Washington, where some lawmakers want to ban China-made connected vehicles. Waymo says it does not share US rider data or its software code with Zeekr. Our guide to Waymo’s competitors covers how this affects its race with Tesla and Zoox.

Do Uber and Lyft Own Part of Waymo?

No. Uber and Lyft are partners, not owners. In some cities, you can book a Waymo through the Uber app (Austin and Atlanta) or the Lyft app (Nashville). Waymo supplies the cars, and the apps supply the riders.

Everywhere else, Waymo runs its own app and competes with both companies for riders. For a side-by-side look at the two ride-hailing apps, see our Uber vs Lyft comparison.

Does Tesla own Waymo? No. Tesla is a competitor. It runs its own Robotaxi service and has no ownership link to Waymo. See our list of Tesla’s competitors for how the two compare.

Can You Buy Waymo Stock?

No. Waymo is not listed on any stock exchange, so individual investors cannot buy its shares. Its investors are institutions that bought in through private funding rounds.

The closest option is to buy Alphabet stock (tickers GOOGL and GOOG). That gives you a small, indirect share in Waymo, along with Google Search, YouTube, Google Cloud, and Alphabet’s other businesses. Waymo has not announced plans for an IPO. Alphabet’s other major businesses and rivals are covered in our Google competitors guide.

Bottom Line

Alphabet owns most of Waymo and controls it, but Waymo is no longer just a Google project. For me, the most useful detail is that a $126 billion private company still does not publish who owns what share, so be careful with any website that gives you an exact percentage. If you want exposure to Waymo, Alphabet stock is the only route until Waymo decides to go public.

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