Uber Technologies Chief Executive Officer Dara Khosrowshahi said on a conference call that the company is holding discussions with private-equity firms and banks to raise financing for a future fleet of autonomous ride-hailing vehicles. The talks, he added, form part of a broader strategy to commercialize robotaxis at scale, an opportunity he estimates to represent a market worth roughly US$1 trillion. Khosrowshahi said Uber is speaking with “all major OEMs,” naming Tesla, Lucid and autonomous-software specialist Nuro among potential collaborators. He described Tesla as both a rival and a possible partner, arguing that the size of the market means no single firm will dominate and that a “winner-take-all” outcome is unlikely. His comments came shortly after Tesla Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk said the electric-car maker is working to place more than 100 fully autonomous Model Y vehicles on California roads “as soon as possible,” underscoring the quickening race among technology and automotive companies to secure first-mover advantage in commercial robotaxi services.