I read that Waymo has cost somewhere between 30 billion and 40 billion to bring to this point. Seems like an incredibly small amount of money considering what it will become.
The whole "alphabet" thing was basically "we have loads of cash -- instead of stock buybacks, let's try to generate new sources of revenue". Take that number you have, then consider all of Google's failed projects and consider the total roi.
https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/waymo-gets-a...
https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/how-te...