Amazon-owned robotaxi developer Zoox has reached a licensing agreement with The Routing Company, a transit technology startup founded by former Uber Executive James Cox. The deal gives Zoox a nonexclusive license for the startup’s routing software and brings five of its engineers on board to “advance the efficiency and scalability” of Zoox’s robotaxi service. Cox, who previously led Uber Pool before launching The Routing Company in 2019, will serve as a Senior Adviser to Zoox’s Chief Product Officer, Mike White, while continuing as CEO of his startup. Since its founding, The Routing Company has helped arrange more than 3 million trips across 13 U.S. states and five countries.
Cox described the partnership as an opportunity to accelerate adoption in the robotaxi sector. “I’m hopeful that this deal enables us to scale the positive impacts of our technology within what will be a very fast expansion in the robotaxi space,” he said. Zoox said in a statement that it expects the new team members to help it scale its operations, with plans to expand its early-rider program in San Francisco and introduce paid rides in Las Vegas later this year. Cox emphasized the importance of route optimization software, calling it a “really important but unloved component” of both autonomous vehicle and ride-hailing networks.