Waymo doubles lobbying spend to push for autonomous taxi approval

Waymo, the self-driving car company owned by Alphabet, has doubled its lobbying expenditure as it works to win regulatory support in the United States. The company is pushing federal regulators to create clearer pathways for fully autonomous taxi services to operate. The increased spending reflects an intensifying competition in the robotaxi sector, particularly with rival Uber. Waymo's lobbying push signals the growing importance of policy and regulation in determining which companies can scale autonomous ride-hailing services.