Waymo's expansion plans hit a speed bump Thursday when New York's governor pulled a proposal that would have paved the way for it to offer its robotaxi service in certain parts of the state. 

The proposal would have allowed autonomous car companies like Waymo, which is owned by Google-parent Alphabet, to apply for permission to offer commercial robotaxi services in areas outside of New York City. A spokesperson for Governor Kathy Hochul, who had included the proposal in her January budget, told Bloomberg that it had become clear that there was not sufficient support for the proposal to advance.

Waymo is the leader in the nascent robotaxi business, with its driverless vehicles offering more than 1 million full autonomous per month in cities such as San Francisco, Phoenix, and Los Angeles — and aggressive plans to expand into as many as 20 additional cities in 2026 and to increase its rider volume to 1 million per week. But the company is facing new competition as Tesla and Amazon-owned Zoox begin to offer limited robotaxi services in some areas.

Waymo's plan to expand into New York faced opposition from taxi and rideshare drivers, labor unions, and transit workers, according to CNBC. Waymo said it was disappointed but committed to working with state lawmakers to bring its service to New York. The company is separately testing autonomous cars, with safety drivers, in New York City. That effort is not affected by Hochul's move. —AO

Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates pulled out of India’s AI Impact Summit just hours before he was scheduled to address the event with a keynote speech. The Gates Foundation said in a statement that the decision was made “to ensure the focus remains on the AI summit’s key priorities.”

Rumors had been swirling about Gates’ attendance throughout the week owing to renewed scrutiny over his ties to Jeffrey Epstein. 

Gates’ withdrawal comes weeks after the U.S. Department of Justice released emails revealing contact between Gates Foundation staff and Epstein, the late financier and convicted sex offender. The correspondence suggested the two had participated in a series of meetings following Epstein’s release from prison, focused on Gates’ charitable ambitions. Gates has maintained that his dealings with Epstein were limited to discussions about his charitable work, and has said meeting him was an error of judgment.—Beatrice Nolan