Amazon Shakes Up the Race for Self-Driving--and Ride-Hailing

Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi says his company wants to be the "Amazon for transportation." Friday, Amazon made clear that it intends to be the Amazon for transportation. The ecommerce giant said it had agreed to acquire Bay Area-based autonomous vehicle company Zoox, a deal reportedly worth more than $1 billion. Since its founding in 2014, Zoox has been known for its technical chops, its secretiveness, and its sky-high ambition. While Waymo is focusing on self-driving tech and leaving the car building to places like Detroit, Zoox has stuck to its plan to design a robotaxi from the ground up--and operate a ride-hail service.