Waymo Launches Germany GmbH on June 15 as AI Leaders Shazeer and Jumper Exit
Waymo registered Waymo Germany GmbH on June 15, 2026, in Munich to start mapping streets and test driverless ride-hailing operations. Alphabet lost AI leads Noam Shazeer and John Jumper but its proprietary TPU chips and platform distribution sustain its AI leadership.
1. Waymo Establishes German Subsidiary
Waymo Germany GmbH was officially registered on June 15, 2026, at Google’s Munich campus. The new entity will begin manual mapping with Waymo Driver–equipped vehicles to train machine-learning models and will offer driverless ride-hailing and technical support, positioning it against local and global competitors.
2. AI Talent Departures and Implications
Alphabet recently lost AI experts Noam Shazeer and John Jumper to OpenAI and Anthropic, raising concerns about talent retention. Despite these departures, Alphabet continues to leverage its proprietary TPU chips and extensive distribution through search, Android and Chrome to uphold its competitive edge in AI development.
