Uber’s New Product Chief Gets Ready for the Robotaxi Era

Meet the Uber Visionary Who Gets Behind the Wheel

Sachin Kansal has been knee‑deep in Uber’s day‑to‑day experiences for nearly a decade. He’s the guy who literally drives the company’s own service to spot hiccups—what insiders call “dog‑fooding.” 700 rides and food deliveries? That’s his mileage benchmark, and with every trip he turns the app into a treasure trove of bugs, screenshots, and action‑able reports.

From Front‑Row Driver to Chief Product Officer

Now, squeezed into the role of Chief Product Officer after Sundeep Jain’s exit, Kansal is tackling a fresh headache: blending autonomous vehicles into Uber’s everyday playbook. Think Waymo robotaxis cupping an August launch in Austin, a move that puts the whole “human driver vs. robot car” debate squarely on the smartphone screen.

What “Integrating” Actually Means

• Every time a rider taps “Get me a car” or “Order food,” the server does a quick sci‑fi calculation.
• It checks the location, time of day, traffic, and the recent checklist of bugs Kansal has chased.
• Then it decides: human driver? robot car?

Kansal jokes, “Some words sound easy until you’re programming the whole system to yield that answer.” But he’s not just talking—he’s testing every algorithm, ensuring that the autonomous rollout is as smooth as the last 700 trips he still dashes.

Why It Matters

Autonomous vehicles aren’t just a future fantasy; they’re a new layer in Uber’s marketplace. The algorithm must evaluate everything in a split second—price, safety, customer preference—to pick the right ride. For Kansal, the challenge is a company‑wide knock‑on: can he keep his dog‑fooding zeal while integrating a robot that doesn’t scream or honk?

In Short

From a self‑admission test driver to steering the tech that will decide who gets the seat for your next trip, Kansal is on a mission to keep Uber’s promise—customer satisfaction—while pioneering the next wave of transportation.

Robots on the Uber app

Uber’s Big Shift: Riding the Autonomous Wave Together

Remember when Uber tried to build its own robot fleet from scratch? Turns out, that plan was about as smooth as a car stuck in a traffic jam. Now the company’s strategy is simpler: partner up. With 14 autonomous tech firms on the roster, Uber is letting the wheels spin faster by working hand‑in‑hand with the best in the business.

Key Partnerships at a Glance

• Waymo (Alphabet’s autonomous arm) – Launched robotaxi service in Phoenix in 2023.
• Avride – Planning to drop robotaxi rides on Uber’s app in Dallas later this year.
• Cartken – Bringing autonomous sidewalk delivery robots to the Uber Eats network.
• Serve Robotics – Joining the squad to deliver food without a human driver.

Why it Matters

By teaming up with seasoned players, Uber sidesteps the steep learning curve of developing autonomous tech from scratch. Instead, it taps into proven expertise, accelerates deployment, and keeps riders and delivery folks welcome with the same brand ease they enjoy today.

Bottom Line

Race ahead the competition, reduce the headache of solo R&D, and keep the wheels turning—Uber’s partnership play is all about making the future of mobility less “techy” and more “next‑door.”

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Netflix, ElevenLabs, Wayve, Sequoia Capital — just a few of the heavy hitters joining the Disrupt 2025 agenda. They’re here to deliver the insights that fuel startup growth and sharpen your edge. Don’t miss the 20th anniversary of TechCrunch Disrupt, and a chance to learn from the top voices in tech — grab your ticket now and save up to $675 before prices rise.

Waymo & Uber’s New Robotaxi Roll‑Out in Austin

Good news for commuters: Waymo on Uber has just gone live in Austin (and will soon roll out to Atlanta). This partnership lets you hail a self‑driving car straight from the Uber app—yes, you can now ride a robot instead of a human driver.

How the Partnership Works

• Waymo: Handles vehicle testing, roadside help and some rider support.
• Uber: Tackles fleet chores: cleaning, maintenance, inspections, charging and depot logistics (through Moove Cars, now rebranded as Avomo).
• Uber also manages matchmaking, pricing and routing, so you get the quickest, smartest ride possible.

This split of duties is a fresh twist from how Waymo has usually run its own operations. The blend of human and robotic talent might get people talking—especially folks in the Teamsters union, who are wary that robotaxis could slash driver pay or even put them out of work.

What Kansal is Saying

Bill Kansal, the mind behind Uber for Teens, says the AV program will keep improving as they learn from real‑world data:

“We’re going to learn a lot about managing and charging autonomous vehicles,” he says. “We’re applying our experience in human‑driver fleet management to the robotaxes as well.”

Kansal exudes confidence:

“I feel pretty confident it’s going to be a success. As we learn, we’ll refine it, and once we get it solid in Austin, we’ll expand—it’s a win‑win for everyone.”

While he’s comfortable with the current model, Kansal hints that future experiments might surface. “We’ll try different setups,” he adds, “but for now, we’re all in on this way.”

Looking Ahead

This pilot marks a bold step forward for AV services and illustrates how Uber is turning over the wheel to its partners. Stay tuned for more updates as the robotaxi fleet grows across cities, offering commuters a different kind of ride experience—one that’s part tech wizardry, part logistical hustle, and a whole lot of ambition.

Uber’s AV past

Uber’s Wild Ride into the Driverless Future

When Uber decided to jump into autonomous vehicles, it set the whole industry on a collision course—metaphorically, of course. Led by the legendary co‑founder and ex‑CEO Travis Kalanick, the company saw self‑driving tech as a zero‑sum game: who wins, wins everything.

The 2015 Kick‑off

It all began in early 2015 when Uber teamed up with Carnegie Mellon’s National Robotics Center. The deal was as ambitious as it was daring, and the company snatched dozens of NREC researchers and scientists ready to geek out over driverless cars.

Buying a Truck Startup—Got It Wrong

Just a year later, Uber bought Otto, a self‑driving truck startup led by former Google engineer Anthony Levandowski and three other Google veterans. That purchase turned out to be a Pandora’s box.

• Google sued Uber for trade‑secret theft—Waymo also filed a lawsuit in 2017. The case went to trial but ended in a settlement in 2018.
• The allegations were that Levandowski siphoned off technology that was later used by Uber.

The Tragic Test

In March 2018, Uber’s autonomous test vehicle—though it had a human safety driver behind the wheel—hit a pedestrian and tragically killed them. The incident rattled the entire industry, knocking the company out of the testing arena for a while.

Spin‑Off to Uber ATG

Fast forward to spring 2019: Uber spun out its autonomous unit, Uber ATG, after landing a $1 billion boost from Toyota, Denso, and SoftBank’s Vision Fund. The effort still cost a fortune, employing over 1,000 people and operating more than 250 self‑driving cars.

Eventually, Uber sold ATG to Aurora, a startup, in a deal that involved an equity swap plus a $400 million injection. The ride‑hailing giant now owns 26% of the new venture.

Partnering vs. DIY

Today, Uber prefers to partner with autonomous companies like Waymo over building everything from scratch. Nonetheless, the road is still choked with challenges, controversies, and the occasional moral dilemma.

Applying the “Dogfooding” Method

Chief Technology Officer Rajeev Kansal is on a mission to quicken and refine the robotaxi dream. He’s already traveling between Austin and other bases to personally ride in Waymo robotaxis, hoping each trip will be smoother than the last.

Milestones That Keep Uber Moving

• Daily throughput: Uber completes a million trips an hour.
• Goal: make every single one flawless.

In words of Kansal, the future of Uber is “all about the ride—no more waiting for a driver, just a ship that rolls into your doorstep.” If that rings true, the adventure just keeps accelerating, and hopefully, it won’t involve any pedestrians in the sequel.