Tekedra Mawakana
Tekedra Mawakana is Waymo’s co-CEO, responsible for company strategy and commercializing the Waymo Driver. She earned a BA from Trinity and a JD from Columbia, then worked in law and technology policy at Steptoe & Johnson, Yahoo, AOL, and eBay. By 2018, she led Waymo’s global policy work; by 2020, she was COO and responsible for the Waymo One commercial launch. She helped direct a 2023 shift toward ride-hailing and AI/ML development and, in April 2025, framed Waymo’s Toyota partnership as a way to improve road safety and expand access. In February 2026, she said Waymo was laying groundwork for service in more than 20 cities; as of October 2026, she guides company strategy.
- Now at
- Waymo
Timeline
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2016
Law and policy roles
She earns a BA from Trinity and a JD from Columbia, starts her career at Steptoe & Johnson, holds policy roles at Yahoo and AOL, and joins eBay as vice president of Government Relations in 2016.
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2018
Waymo’s policy lead
In 2018, she serves as Waymo’s vice president and global head of policy and joins a New America discussion about self-driving cars and city transport.
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2018–2020
Launching Waymo One
Waymo One launches as the company’s first commercial service in December 2018, and she is responsible for the launch; by 2020, she serves as COO, overseeing business strategy, operations, global policy and public affairs.
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2021
Co-leading Waymo
In April 2021, she becomes co-CEO with Dmitri Dolgov; together they drive Waymo’s technical and business leadership as the company develops and commercializes the Waymo Driver.
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2023
Focus on ride-hailing
In 2023, the co-CEOs shift investment toward ride-hailing and push Waymo’s AI/ML technology forward.
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March 2024
Expanding Waymo One
In March 2024, Mawakana shares plans for public Waymo One rides in Los Angeles and Austin.
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April 2025
A Toyota partnership
In April 2025, she describes the Toyota partnership as a way to improve road safety and expand access to autonomous transportation.
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As of October 2026
Waymo co-CEO
In February 2026, she says Waymo is laying groundwork for service in 20+ cities. As of October 2026, she is Waymo’s co-CEO and guides company strategy toward commercializing the Waymo Driver.
Sources and credits
Photo: waymo.com; Tekedra Mawakana, Co-Chief Executive Officer; creator not stated. License: Not stated by source. Source: waymo.com. Cropped to a square and resized. Ask us to remove or replace this photo.
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