The ride-hailing company, Lyft, has signed a deal with Waymo, a self-driving car unit which operates under Google’s parent company, Alphabet, to collaborate on autonomous vehicle technology and bring it into the mainstream through pilot projects and product development efforts.
Both companies explained the benefits of the deal. A Lyft spokesperson said:
“Waymo holds today’s best self-driving technology, and collaborating with them will accelerate our shared vision of improving lives with the world’s best transportation.”
Waymo’s spokesman said:
“Lyft’s vision and commitment to improving the way cities move will help Waymo’s self-driving technology reach more people in more places.”
The deal is a notable one because Uber, which is by far the most popular ride-hailing app in the US, is planning to create its own autonomous vehicles with alleged stolen Waymo trade secrets. Lyft will now be able to try to get a competitive edge over Uber by working with the supposed originator of the trade secrets, and ultimately push Uber off its perch if it succeeds.
Details of the deal and what products we could see brought to market as a result are few, so we’ll have to wait and see now whether the companies reveal any more.
Source: NYTimes