Create a strategic roadmap for Waymo (Self-driving) for the next 5 years

Waymo has proven its Level-4 autonomous driving technology safety in Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles (surpassing 100,000 paid commercial rides/week). As Head of Commercial Strategy, build Waymo's 5-year strategic roadmap to scale from a regional robotaxi operator into a globally profitable autonomous mobility and logistics powerhouse.

Context

Competitors like Cruise faced regulatory pauses, while Tesla is pursuing a vision-only camera approach. Waymo utilizes redundant LiDAR, radar, and sensor suites on custom vehicle platforms (Jaguar I-PACE, Zeekr).

Clarifying questions to ask first

What is the target cost per autonomous vehicle mile ($0.50/mile vs human Uber $2.00/mile)?
Is Waymo manufacturing its own custom vehicles or integrating onto OEM platforms (Zeekr/Geely)? (OEM platforms).

How to approach it

Phase 1 (Years 1-2): Operational City Density & Sensor Cost Reduction:
- Scale commercial density in top 10 US metro markets (Austin, Miami, Atlanta with Uber partnership)
- Deploy 6th-Generation Waymo Driver: Slashes hardware and sensor costs by 50% while operating in snow and rain
Phase 2 (Years 2-3): Asset-Light Platform Partnerships (Uber & Fleet Operators):
- Shift from owning/maintaining entire vehicle fleets to partnering with third-party fleet managers (Uber, rental agencies) who handle charging, cleaning, and depot maintenance
Phase 3 (Years 4-5): Multi-Vertical Expansion (Autonomous Trucking Freight & Licensing):
- Commercialize Waymo Via for Class-8 highway trucking logistics corridors
- License Waymo Driver OS to global automotive OEMs for personal consumer autonomous vehicles

Framework: Current Technological Advantage -> Unit Economics per Mile -> 3-Phase 5-Year Roadmap (Metro Density -> Fleet Partner Model -> Freight/Licensing) -> Regulatory & Safety Moat

Sample answer

Waymo has won the L4 safety credibility race; the battle is now purely about hardware cost reduction and fleet operations scaling
Waymo should not become an asset-heavy car maintenance company; it must transition to the "Android of Autonomous Driving"
Partnering with Uber for demand dispatch accelerates customer acquisition without burning marketing cash

Economics modeling: 6th-Gen sensor suite drops vehicle cost from $150k to $60k; at 18 hours/day utilization, each Waymo generates $65k in annual gross profit, achieving payback in 14 months

Executive 5-year roadmap: 1) Scale to top 15 US metros with 6th-Gen low-cost sensor suites, 2) Transition to an asset-light fleet management partnership with Uber and rental operators, 3) Expand into Class-8 highway trucking (Waymo Via) to unlock global $10B+ high-margin ARR.

What interviewers look for

Unit Economics: Cost per Autonomous Mile vs Human Driver
Asset-Heavy Fleet Ownership vs Asset-Light Fleet Management Partnerships
Sensor Suite Cost Reduction Trajectory
Multi-Vertical Expansion (Robotaxi -> Freight -> OEM Licensing)