Alphabet’s Strategic Advances: Waymo’s Growth and Gemini’s Global Reach

As investors in Alphabet, Inc. (GOOGL) navigate a recent period of share price weakness, the technology conglomerate is demonstrating tangible progress in two key operational areas. Significant milestones from its autonomous driving unit, Waymo, and its artificial intelligence division are coming to light just weeks ahead of the company’s first-quarter earnings report scheduled for April 22.

Regulatory Scrutiny and Ambitious Goals for Waymo

Alphabet’s self-driving venture, Waymo, is now completing over 500,000 paid robotaxi rides each week. This achievement arrives amid increased regulatory attention. Both the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the National Transportation Safety Board have opened investigations into incidents where Waymo vehicles allegedly failed to adhere to rules concerning school buses.

Despite this scrutiny, the growth trajectory remains steep. The current weekly volume represents a doubling from approximately 250,000 rides just last April. Compared to the 50,000 weekly rides recorded in May 2024, this marks a tenfold increase in under two years. The company’s co-CEO has publicly targeted one million weekly rides by the end of 2026.

Waymo’s fleet of 3,000 autonomous vehicles now operates across ten U.S. metropolitan areas. Initial markets like Phoenix, San Francisco, and Los Angeles have been joined by Austin, Atlanta, Miami, Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, and Orlando. International expansion into left-hand traffic markets, including London and Tokyo, is also under consideration.

It is noteworthy that Waymo secured refinancing earlier this year at a valuation of around $126 billion. This suggests that, in the near term, Alphabet’s stock performance may be more closely tied to its core search and Google Cloud businesses than to operational milestones in its autonomous driving segment.

Should investors sell immediately? Or is it worth buying Alphabet?

Gemini’s AI Translation Challenges Apple’s Ecosystem

In a strategic move to expand its AI footprint, Google launched its Live Translate feature for iPhone users globally on March 26. The service, previously limited to Android users in the United States, India, and Mexico, is now available in twelve markets. New countries include Germany, France, Japan, and the United Kingdom.

This rollout positions Google’s Gemini AI in direct competition with Apple. The technical foundation is Gemini 2.5 Flash Native Audio, supporting real-time translation across more than 70 languages. A key differentiator lies in hardware requirements: Apple’s competing live translation feature, launched in late 2025, mandates the use of AirPods 4, AirPods Pro 2, or AirPods Pro 3 alongside an Apple Intelligence-compatible iPhone. Google’s cloud-based solution functions with any headphones, removing a significant barrier to adoption.

Market Sentiment and the Path Forward

Alphabet’s equity has faced headwinds, declining roughly 21% since February—a drop that places it in bear market territory. A contributing factor is an ongoing lawsuit related to its YouTube platform.

Nevertheless, the analyst community maintains a broadly positive outlook. Among 45 covering analysts, the majority rate the stock as a “Strong Buy,” anticipating considerable upside potential over a twelve-month horizon.

The upcoming Q1 financial results on April 22 will be a critical test. Investors will be watching closely to see if the operational advances from Waymo and Gemini translate into stronger core financial metrics—and if that is sufficient to restore market confidence.