Kodiak Robotics vs Waymo

By valuation, Waymo is the larger company at $126B versus $2.5B — a 50.4x difference. Size can also be measured by team: Kodiak Robotics employs 300 people while Waymo has 3500 employees.

Waymo has raised more in total funding at $27.1B, compared to Kodiak Robotics's $518M — a gap of $26.6B. Combined, the two companies have completed 9 known funding rounds.

Waymo leads with an Awaira Score of 96/100, while Kodiak Robotics sits at 70/100. That 26-point gap reflects real differences in funding, scale, and traction — it's not a vanity metric.

Kodiak Robotics was founded by Don Burnette in 2018. Waymo was founded by Sebastian Thrun in 2009. Visit each company's profile on Awaira for a full founder biography.

Kodiak Robotics: Kodiak Robotics develops autonomous trucking technology for long-haul freight transportation. Founded in 2018, the company designs software and hardware systems that enable heavy-duty trucks to operate without human drivers on highways. Kodiak's core technology focuses on perception, planning, and control systems specifically optimized for commercial trucking operations, addressing the logistics industry's driver shortage and operational efficiency challenges. The company has developed a modular autonomous driving platform deployable across different truck platforms and has conducted extensive testing on public roads in multiple U.S. states. Kodiak's approach emphasizes highway autonomy rather than urban delivery, positioning it within a competitive autonomous vehicle market that includes companies like Aurora, Waymo, and TuSimple. The company achieved a $2.5 billion valuation following significant funding rounds, accumulating $518 million in total capital. Kodiak has partnered with logistics operators and fleet companies for real-world testing and deployment. The autonomous trucking sector targets substantial addressable markets given the scale of U.S. freight transportation. Growth prospects depend on regulatory approval, infrastructure development, and successful commercial deployment at scale. The company's trajectory reflects investor confidence in autonomous heavy-vehicle technology despite remaining technical and regulatory obstacles. Kodiak focuses exclusively on highway autonomous trucking rather than diversifying into urban or mixed-use autonomous vehicles. Waymo: Waymo is an autonomous vehicle company founded in 2009 as Google's self-driving car project before becoming an independent Alphabet subsidiary. The company develops full-stack autonomous driving technology, including perception systems, planning algorithms, and simulation platforms that enable vehicles to operate without human drivers. Waymo's core offering centers on autonomous ride-hailing services and commercial trucking solutions. Its Waymo Driver technology stack processes sensor data from lidar, radar, and cameras to navigate complex environments. The company operates Waymo One, a commercial robotaxi service in Phoenix and San Francisco, serving thousands of regular passengers. Waymo has also launched Waymo Via, focusing on autonomous freight and logistics. With $27.1 billion in total funding and a $126 billion valuation, Waymo maintains significant financial backing from Alphabet and external investors. The company competes directly with Tesla, Cruise, Aurora, and traditional automotive manufacturers developing autonomous capabilities. Waymo's competitive advantages include extensive real-world testing data, Google's computational resources, and established operational services generating continuous learning. The company has achieved notable milestones including driverless taxi operations without safety drivers in urban environments and partnerships with established fleet operators. Growth trajectory focuses on geographic expansion of ride-hailing services and scaling autonomous freight operations across North America. Waymo operates the only commercially deployed, fully autonomous ride-hailing service at meaningful scale in the United States.

Waymo got there first, launching in 2009 — that's 9 years of extra runway. Kodiak Robotics didn't arrive until 2018. In AI, that kind of head start means more training data, deeper customer relationships, and a bigger talent moat.

Kodiak Robotics has about 300 employees; Waymo has about 3500. A bigger team usually means more revenue or heavier VC backing, but in AI, small teams can build at massive scale.

Yes — they're direct rivals. Both Kodiak Robotics and Waymo compete in AI Robotics, targeting many of the same buyers. If you're evaluating one, you should be looking at the other.