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UBER QUIETLY LOCKS IN ITS FUTURE
Uber signed a long-term agreement with China’s Momenta to deploy robotaxis across Europe, beginning in 2026. The partnership gives Uber early access to Momenta’s autonomous vehicle stack and a crucial hedge against regulatory and labour volatility in key international markets.
The deal is not just notable for its scale, it marks the first time Uber has committed to a robotaxi rollout in Europe with a non-Western AV partner. Momenta, backed by Mercedes-Benz and Toyota, is one of the most quietly capable players in the space, with operational AV programs already running in parts of China. The European launch will begin in Germany, where Uber is already active and where local regulatory paths for AVs are further along than in other markets.
Unlike Uber’s previous AV experiments, which floundered under the weight of in-house development, this strategy reflects a clear pivot. Uber is no longer trying to build its own autonomous tech. It is becoming an AV platform. This is a return to the aggregator playbook that defined its first act in ridehailing: own the demand layer, let someone else manage the assets and hardware.
The robotaxi race has long been divided into two camps. Tesla and Waymo, who view autonomy as a proprietary systems challenge. And companies like Uber and Baidu, who see scale as a function of integration. Uber is now betting that speed, partnerships, and deployment geography matter more than who wrote the original code.
More importantly, this agreement is a geopolitical signal. At a time when US-China relations are tense, Uber is aligning with a Chinese autonomous driving company to gain advantage in Europe. A choice reflects a strategic realism: the AV tech that is ready to deploy at scale today is coming from China, not California.
SO WHAT?
Uber’s deal with Momenta is not just a product announcement. It is a blueprint for how platform companies will approach autonomy in the next decade. In choosing not to develop its own AV tech, Uber is freeing itself to focus on integration, regulation, and market expansion. This makes it more flexible than Tesla and less capital-intensive than Waymo.
The first deployment will begin in Germany, but Uber has left the door open for expansion across the EU. Europe offers the regulatory environment where AVs are likely to scale first, aided by high urban density, supportive infrastructure, and limited driver availability. Labour unions will push back. Regulators will demand accountability. But if Uber can make robotaxis work in Germany, it can make them work anywhere. Of course, this also puts pressure on US and European AV companies. Waymo has yet to launch in Europe (nor has any public plans to soon). Tesla’s Full Self-Driving remains stuck in regulatory purgatory. Cruise is still reeling from its San Francisco implosion. The field continues to thin. If Momenta can deliver on what Uber is promising, the centre of gravity in robotaxis may shift eastward.
DO watch how Momenta handles its first Western rollout. Germany is a proving ground for both product and geopolitics.
DON’T ignore the geopolitics. A US platform partnering with a Chinese AV firm to lead in Europe marks a profound shift in global tech alignment.
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I deliver actionable insights that keep companies ahead of the disruption that’s coming. As the founder of TBD Group and author of Disruptive Technologies, I am trusted by global brands, agencies, and when breaking news hits media giants like FT, WSJ, BBC, and CNN ask for my analysis. Connect with me on LinkedIn and Bluesky.
