New York, Jan 11, 2026, 16:35 (EST) — Market closed.
Uber Technologies Inc (UBER.N) closed Friday down 2.5% at $85.44, with intraday moves ranging from $84.90 to $88.00. U.S. markets remain closed Sunday, as investors weigh if robotaxis — self-driving taxis — are reemerging as a short-term regulatory and competitive trigger.
This is crucial as autonomy shifts from test pilots to everyday urban driving, where the rules are far from settled. For Uber, positioned between riders and car providers, how fast the rollout happens—and how regulations take shape—could reshape costs, pricing, and ultimately who owns the customer relationship.
Uber and Lyft drivers took to the streets in San Francisco on Friday, protesting Waymo’s self-driving taxis as the California Public Utilities Commission debated new regulations for autonomous vehicles. Joseph Augusto, who drives for both companies, said, “I personally am not against technology; what I am against is unfair treatment.” Waymo responded by stating it is “on a mission to be the world’s most trusted driver,” while the commission declined to comment on the demonstration. 1
Uber slid despite the Nasdaq Composite gaining 0.81% and the Dow rising 0.48%, MarketWatch reports. DoorDash dropped 3.81% during the session, while Uber’s trading volume trailed its 50-day average, according to MarketWatch data. 2
At CES in Las Vegas, Nvidia unveiled a next-gen platform set to power a robotaxi alliance featuring Lucid, Nuro, and Uber. This move is part of a broader strategy to slash costs and accelerate rollouts. Ozgur Tohumcu, GM for automotive and manufacturing at Amazon Web Services, called AI and generative AI a “big accelerant,” highlighting their role in trimming development and validation demands. Meanwhile, Infineon CEO Jochen Hanebeck cautioned against “market fantasy” around fully driverless cars, stating he doesn’t foresee “a tsunami flowing towards Level 5,” the level of full autonomy without human intervention. 3
Uber stock faces clear headwinds. More robotaxis might boost supply in crowded markets and change unit economics, yet safety issues and stricter regulations could delay rollout and keep costs high.
Another factor that quickly affects sentiment is control. If regulators clamp down or cities limit deployments, the advantage could shift to operators holding permits and vehicles, rather than the apps that gather demand.
Markets reopen Monday, Jan. 12, with investors eyeing moves from California regulators and new updates from CES partnerships as companies wrap up. Uber’s next milestone is its quarterly earnings report, set for Feb. 4, per Yahoo Finance’s calendar. 4
