NEW YORK, Jan 8, 2026, 07:47 EST — Premarket
Uber Technologies shares closed up 0.8% on Wednesday at $86.19, extending a recent lift as the company and partners showcased a new robotaxi program tied to the CES tech conference in Las Vegas. The stock was last up 0.1% in after-hours trading at $86.30. MarketWatch
The move matters because Uber is trying to prove it can stay central to ride-hailing even if cars start driving themselves. Robotaxis could cut labor costs, but they also change who controls the trip, the data, and the economics.
Investors are watching for signs that autonomy turns into volume without crushing margins. The key question is simple: does Uber remain the front door for riders, or does it end up as a referral pipe for fleet owners with their own apps?
Uber, electric-vehicle maker Lucid and autonomy startup Nuro said on-road testing of their robotaxi began last month, ahead of an expected launch in the San Francisco Bay Area later this year. The firms said the vehicle blends cameras, radars and lidar — a laser-based sensor used to map surroundings — and uses Nvidia’s DRIVE computing hardware; Uber said it will be shown at Nvidia’s CES showcase through Thursday. Uber Investor Relations
The partners have framed the rollout as a scale play, not a science project. Lucid in September closed a $300 million investment from Uber tied to a plan to deploy up to 20,000 Gravity-based robotaxis on Uber’s network over six years, WardsAuto reported. WardsAuto
Jefferies, in a client note published on Wednesday, argued the market is overpricing the near-term threat from robotaxi rivals and urged investors to buy the pullback in Uber. Analyst John Colantuono wrote that “AVs will have nearly zero impact on growth through 2027,” pointing to the slow pace of fleet build-outs and to Uber’s expanding roster of autonomy partnerships. Investing.com
Uber stock is still below its 52-week high of $101.99 and above a low of $60.63, leaving traders to debate whether the autonomy narrative can rebuild momentum after last year’s swings. Nasdaq
But the downside case has teeth. If robotaxi operators demand a bigger cut of each fare — or route trips through their own platforms — Uber’s take rate could shrink even if rides grow, and regulators could slow deployments after any high-profile safety incidents.
Next up is earnings. Uber has not announced a reporting date for fourth-quarter results, but Nasdaq’s earnings calendar currently points to Feb. 4; investors will be listening for fresh detail on bookings, profit margins and how quickly autonomy partners can move from pilots to meaningful volume. Nasdaq
