Do they need to develop the technology themselves? So long as their cars don’t have drivers, they’re fine, no? Or is the issue that nobody would share with them?
In a pretty ironic twist, Uber et al have already started rumblings about how the third option needs to be made illegal, because there's no regulatory oversight on vehicle maintenance and safety. Having spent most of their life ignoring existing regulations, they soon may need them to survive.
In the long run this seems likely, but in the short term Waymo seems to be gearing up to start their own app, and if they have a cost advantage over Uber, Uber will be burning even more cash subsidizing rides waiting for self-driving tech to become a commodity.
At that point, why invest in Uber?