Waymo’s co-CEO, Tekedra Mawakana, had a clear message during her interview on the TechCrunch Disrupt 2025 stage Monday: “It is imperative that we scale.”

Mawakana was speaking in the context of how Waymo balances fundraising (and burning through that money) with eventually achieving profitability. But she was also clear in the interview that she believes Waymo can increase road safety by reaching that scale.

All this helps explain why the company has been on an expansion tear this year, and expects to launch in many more U.S. cities — D.C., Miami, Denver, Dallas, Seattle, and Nashville — as well as in London in 2026. It’s a furious pace that has seen the autonomous vehicle company leverage multiple partnerships with the likes of companies like Uber, Lyft, and Avis.

“By the end of 2026

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