Uber early investor Jason Calacanis says Waymo could buy Lucid or Rivian, criticizes Chinese car “optics”

Jason Calacanis, an early investor in Uber, said he believes Google’s self-driving unit Waymo could become an acquirer of electric-vehicle and mobility brands such as Lucid or Rivian. The comments, reported by Yahoo Finance, were framed as part of a broader view that consolidation may come to the autonomous driving and EV ecosystem.

Calacanis previously disclosed that he has made small investments in Lucid and Rivian, along with stakes in companies focused on autonomous driving technology, including WeRide and. In the Yahoo Finance report, he was described as expecting takeovers to occur within about two years, suggesting that he views the market’s capital-intensive race as pushing some players toward strategic exits.

While the remarks did not provide details on specific acquisition targets, timing beyond the two-year window, or any confirmation from Waymo, Calacanis highlighted his belief that consolidation is likely. In other words, his call was less about a near-term product update and more about which companies could be absorbed as autonomy and vehicle platforms converge.

Calacanis also criticized what he called the “Chinese-car optics” used to market some competing EV products. In the same Yahoo Finance account, he characterized these optics as “really bad,” indicating that he believes messaging and positioning around Chinese-made cars could affect competitive dynamics.

The comments matter to the auto and autonomy sector because they underline a common investor thesis: the industry’s buildout requires expensive data, engineering talent, and manufacturing or integration scale, which can make mergers and acquisitions more likely than independent scaling for all participants. When prominent technology investors talk about specific acquisition pathways, it can shape how markets think about valuation risk across EV makers and autonomy firms.

The picture remains incomplete. The Yahoo Finance-linked report, as characterized in the provided material, does not include disclosed transaction terms, any sourcing that Waymo is actively negotiating, or any direct statements from Waymo, Lucid, or Rivian about potential deals. Calacanis also did not outline the criteria he would use to choose between Lucid and Rivian as targets, beyond the general consolidation timeframe.

For the next steps, investors and industry watchers will likely look for corroboration from the companies themselves, changes in strategic partnerships, or regulatory and corporate filings that would clarify whether acquisition speculation is turning into actionable discussions. Until then, the remarks should be read as an investor prediction rather than confirmed dealmaking.