Friedberg @ 00:55:56Wrong
venturemarketstech
In 2025, Waymo will undertake a major capital or corporate event: either a large external financing round, an IPO, or a merger/acquisition transaction, potentially involving a major ride‑sharing platform.
I think you could see something happen with Waymo this year that could either be something like a massive financing, an IPO or a merger or acquisition with one of the big ridesharing companies.
Explanation
Available reporting through late 2025 shows no major new capital or corporate event for Waymo in 2025 of the type Friedberg described (large external financing round, IPO, or merger/acquisition).
- Waymo’s last major capital raise was a $5.6 billion Series C funding round announced on October 25, 2024, led by Alphabet with participation from outside investors such as Andreessen Horowitz, Fidelity, Silver Lake, Tiger Global, and T. Rowe Price. This is consistently dated to October 2024, not 2025. (cnbc.com)
- Follow‑on coverage in 2024–2025 continues to reference that same $5.6 billion Series C as Waymo’s big round, putting its valuation above $45 billion, with no subsequent 2025 financing round disclosed. (gurufocus.com)
- Throughout 2025, news about Waymo focuses on geographic expansion and partnerships (e.g., expansion of robotaxi services in Silicon Valley, Austin, and Miami; partnerships with Uber and Lyft in markets like Austin and Nashville), but these are commercial/operational agreements, not mergers or acquisitions. (en.wikipedia.org)
- As of late November 2025, major outlets still describe Waymo as Alphabet’s self‑driving unit/subsidiary, indicating no IPO or spin‑off and no sale to or merger with another company. (axios.com)
Because the prediction was specifically “this year” (2025) and pointed to a new massive financing, IPO, or M&A event, and none of those occurred in 2025 (the big funding round happened in 2024), the prediction is best scored as wrong.