*By Jacqueline Corba*
Google's navigation app Waze expanded its carpool service on Wednesday to reach commuters across the U.S.
"We want to help everyone reduce traffic," the company's head of carpool, Josh Fried, told Cheddar Rides.
Only 8 percent of commuters are carpooling, according to Waze data. Fried said if the company can boost that figure to double digits, it will be able to make a dent in traffic congestion.
In the past, Waze has only been available in [13 U.S. states](https://cheddar.com/videos/how-to-make-money-on-your-commute) in addition to markets in Brazil and Israel. Now the service will be available anywhere in the U.S.
The nationwide launch comes just 6 months after a relaunch of the app, which was initiated after the company realized the importance of an interpersonal connection, Fried said.
"It's not blind-matching anymore," he said. "It's really about making connections for commuters that live near where you live or work near where you work."
Waze's carpool service offers riders an affordable trip and reimburse drivers for gas.
For the launch, Waze was able to rely on the deep pockets of parent company Google, a unit of Alphabet ($GOOGL).
Fried said 1.3 million of Waze navigation app users have, as of this week, opted in for adding the carpool app to their devices.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/googles-waze-takes-carpooling-service-nationwide).
President Donald Trump said he has decided to lower his combined tariff rates on imports of Chinese goods to 47% after talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on curbing fentanyl trafficking.
Universal Music Group and AI platform Udio have settled a copyright lawsuit and will collaborate on a new music creation and streaming platform. The companies announced on Wednesday that they reached a compensatory legal settlement and new licensing agreements. These agreements aim to provide more revenue opportunities for Universal's artists and songwriters. The rise of AI song generation tools like Udio has disrupted the music streaming industry, leading to accusations from record labels. This deal marks the first since Universal and others sued Udio and Suno last year. Financial terms of the settlement weren't disclosed.
Nvidia on Wednesday became the first public company to reach a market capitalization of $5 trillion. The ravenous appetite for the Silicon Valley company’s chips is the main reason that the company’s stock price has increased so rapidly since early 2023.
Chris Williamson, Chief Business Economist at S&P Global, breaks down September’s CPI print and inflation trends, explaining what it means for markets.
