Waymo’s federal lobbying spending more than doubled in the second quarter, putting it within striking distance of Uber and well ahead of other autonomous vehicle rivals, according to new disclosure filings.
The Alphabet-owned company spent more than $1 million between April and June lobbying the federal government, more than double its outlay during the same period a year earlier. That placed Waymo’s spending close to Uber’s and significantly above competitors including Amazon’s Zoox and Tesla.
The increased lobbying comes as Waymo and Uber push competing visions for the future of ride-hailing. Waymo wants a faster path to fully driverless commercial services, while Uber is advocating a staggered rollout in which robotaxis operate alongside human drivers.
Their diverging legislative strategies have contributed to a souring relationship. The Financial Times reported last month that Waymo was exploring options to exit its Uber partnership in Austin and Atlanta, where the ride-hailing company operates its services.
“They’ve both stepped up lobbying and are pushing up against each other, which now appears to be hastening their divorce,” said Walter Piecyk, an analyst at LightShed Partners.
Both companies are lobbying aggressively in several US states and Washington, DC, after pushback stalled their expansion into markets including New York and Chicago. Politicians and labour groups have warned that the technology could displace drivers and undercut existing services.
In the first six months of 2026, Waymo increased its spending by 93 percent from the year before to slightly more than $2 million. It has called for a federal framework to ease the rollout of robotaxis. In May, it hired law firm Greenberg Traurig to lobby on its behalf, adding to a roster of several other Washington firms.
At the local level, the robotaxi operator has outspent both Uber and Zoox in lobbying legislators in the District of Columbia. It pressed local regulators to allow robotaxi services in the nation’s capital, including by inviting residents earlier this year to write in support of its rollout.
In New York state, Waymo has spent more than half a million dollars so far this year, more than double Uber’s lobbying spend, as it seeks a foothold in one of the largest taxi markets. Its lobbying intensified after Governor Kathy Hochul earlier this year walked back proposals that would have allowed autonomous vehicle companies to run services across most of the state. Waymo offered to set up a $20 million fund to support drivers affected by the technology’s deployment, according to people familiar with the matter.
In New Jersey, it has engaged lawmakers who are exploring a three-year pilot program to test deployments.
Waymo said in a statement that it was advocating for the rollout of autonomous vehicles and was not pursuing measures that would limit competitors or “prescribe” how the technology was deployed.
Uber, meanwhile, has been racing to make up lost ground in autonomous vehicles after abandoning its in-house autonomous driving effort in 2020, committing more than $10 billion over the past year through equity stakes and robotaxi fleet agreements.
The ride-hailing group has warned several Democratic-led states against a carte blanche rollout and has instead lobbied for hybrid networks that route rides to both human drivers and autonomous vehicles. In New Jersey, Uber lobbyists have proposed that any platform offering robotaxi services also use human drivers for at least 85 percent of all rides during a three-year pilot program.
Critics have accused Uber of seeking regulatory capture by attempting to keep rides flowing through its platform as it grapples with rising competition.
Uber denied being “anti-AV or seeking to slow AV deployment.” It said hybrid networks “get the technology to consumers sooner while giving policymakers a practical framework to manage the transition.”
The dueling lobbying campaigns are unfolding across Washington and state capitals, reflecting the high stakes for both companies as they compete to define the path forward for robotaxis.
