Apple exits self-driving car race as Waymo and Tesla charge ahead

Apple has exited the self-driving car race after over a decade of effort and billions spent, signaling the end of its efforts in this area.

Alphabet's Waymo has made significant progress with autonomous vehicles, launching first in Phoenix in 2015 and expanding to other cities, recently partnering with Uber.

Tesla plans to unveil robotaxis in August, moving towards Elon Musk's 2019 goal of 1 million Teslas on the road with full self-driving capability.

Waymo CEO Sundar Pichai and Tesla CEO Elon Musk are bullish about their companies' self-driving car capabilities going forward.

The exits and challenges faced by Apple highlight difficulties of entering the automotive space, while Waymo and Tesla progress towards more advanced driver assistance and autonomy.