Saturday, February 3, 2018

Waymo Alphabet's next Big Thing

by Michael Keane

With the expansion to Atlanta, Waymo is beginning to look like Alphabet's next big revenue generator. They are entering the holy trifecta that search, Android, and YouTube entered; growing customer base, growing partner base, and growing marketplace.

With Atlanta opening up, the number of people using the service is continuing to grow. The more miles that the service goes, the more confidence will grow in the driverless concept.

Waymo has a nice set of known partners on the driverless ride. Having a major motor company like Fiat Chrysler is a big deal. Everyone knows and is comfortable with the vehicle (Caravan) that is used. There is no "what is that" comment when looking at the vehicle, which puts customers at ease. Having Trov on the insurance end is also big, but on a different end. Most major insurance companies are fighting the driverless concept at one level or another. The reason is that the record of safety for these vehicles puts the margins of auto insurance at risk. A previous article on this subject can be found here. Insert Trov, who provides the insurance for not just vehicles, but all items in this sector. The numerous tech partnerships are too many to name. One big one is governmental partnerships. They are growing.

The driverless marketplace grows with almost new news weekly on the topic. Motor companies are investing millions on the concept. Governments are preparing their roads for it. More and more tech companies are spending on this concept.

When you put all of these things together, the likelihood of major success is high. Alphabet has to feel good about the way that John Krafcik and his team are running Waymo. 

** This blog is used for opinions and ideas and should not be used as a direction to act without doing your due diligence.**

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