Google has owned Waze, a community-driven navigation app, since June 2013, when it acquired the company for $1.3 billion. Google has kept Waze as a separate app with its own developers, but in December 2022, it announced that Waze would no longer be an independent division. Instead, Waze would become another product under Google's Geo division, which also includes Google Maps, Google Earth, and Google Street View. Google says the move is intended to allow the teams to collaborate more technically while still providing users with the same experience.
Wikipedia
Waze - Wikipedia
In June 2013, Waze was acquired by Google for $1.3 billion. Waze's then-100 employees received about $1.2 million on average: the largest payout to employees in Israeli high tech. As part of the acquisition, the Waze development team continued to operate in Israeli as a separate entity from Google.
Jan 12, 2023 — yes Google Maps and Waze are merging. Google is reportedly merging both of its teams. however the two navigation apps will stay separate just the company will house both teams under its Geo. organization which oversees Google Earth and street view products. you are already familiar.