Waymo Just Launched in Orlando. What AI Disruption Means for How Customers Find Your Business.
On February 24, 2026, Waymo opened its self-driving ride-hailing service in Orlando — covering Universal, parts of Walt Disney World, and Orlando International Airport. For most people, it's a transportation story. For local businesses, it's something more. Waymo is an Alphabet company, powered by the same AI ecosystem as Google Search and Google Maps. When a passenger asks the vehicle's AI to recommend a restaurant or navigate to a business, it makes that decision based on the same digital signals that determine who appears in Google's AI Overviews, who gets recommended by voice assistants, and who surfaces in ChatGPT when someone asks for a local business. The AI disruption to customer discovery is already here. The question is whether your business is positioned to be found in the new landscape.
Orlando Just Became a $233 Billion Economy — Is Your Digital Marketing Keeping Up?
Orlando is now a $233 billion economy — one of the largest in the country — and it didn't get there by slowing down. Four consecutive years of growth outpacing the U.S. average has brought record job creation, tens of thousands of new residents, and a wave of nationally recognized companies planting flags right here in Central Florida. All of that growth is good news. But for established Orlando businesses that haven't seriously invested in their digital presence, it's also a warning. More growth means more competition — and the new players coming into this market aren't arriving without a marketing strategy.