AsianFin -- Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai revealed on Thursday that Waymo, the company’s self-driving unit, could eventually offer its autonomous taxis for personal ownership.

The announcement comes as Tesla prepares to launch its own robotaxi service in the U.S. later this year.

Originally a Google moonshot project in 2009, Waymo became an independent subsidiary in 2016. Since then, it has navigated a challenging autonomous vehicle market—marked by heavy investment, regulatory hurdles, and technological complexities—to achieve gradual but steady expansion.