Uber is partnering with Zipline to bring drone delivery into Uber Eats, according to The Verge and a Wall Street Journal item summarized by Techmeme. The companies are aiming for 1 million daily drone deliveries by 2029, a target both reports cite. The rollout is planned for Texas. Techmeme’s summary of the Wall Street Journal says Uber and Zipline plan to launch Uber Eats drone deliveries in Dallas and Houston by late 2026. The Verge reports that the service will start later this year in Zipline’s existing Dallas-Fort Worth market before expanding to dozens of additional cities. The provided Verge text does not mention Houston, so that market detail remains attributed to the Wall Street Journal summary. The Verge also reports that Uber is making a strategic investment in Zipline, a California-based drone company that has been operating drone deliveries in Texas since 2025. Zipline has made 2 million deliveries so far, according to The Verge, and also operates overseas in Rwanda, Ghana, Japan, Nigeria, Côte d’Ivoire, and Kenya. The company began operations in Rwanda in 2016, delivering medical supplies to remote locations. For Uber, the partnership adds another delivery mode to a network that already includes human couriers and, in some markets, sidewalk robots. The Verge reports that Uber says Zipline’s drones can bring an order to a customer’s front lawn in a matter of minutes. Uber is positioning the system as a hybrid network that can match customers with the delivery method it considers most efficient based on where they live. The deal also fits a broader pattern in food delivery. The Verge notes that Uber made a similar deal with Flytrex last year, which also included an investment. Meanwhile, some rivals are pursuing their own drone programs: The Verge reports that DoorDash launched DoorDash Air last month after receiving Federal Aviation Administration approval. Regulation is part of the timing. The Verge reports that, following a 2025 order from President Donald Trump, the Federal Aviation Administration has proposed rules meant to expand drone delivery operations. The same report says drone operators are moving to secure partnerships with grocery chains and retailers as one analysis projects the market could reach $7.7 billion by 2031. The near-term question is less whether drones can move individual orders and more whether the service can scale into a repeatable delivery channel. The companies’ 2029 goal sets a high-volume benchmark, but the provided reports do not give economics, eligible restaurants, delivery fees, aircraft capacity, or the precise customer availability schedule beyond the Texas launch framing. Who benefits: Zipline gains a major consumer-delivery partner and a reported strategic investment from Uber. Uber Eats could benefit if drone delivery expands its delivery options in markets where the service is approved and operationally practical. Who's exposed: Delivery rivals face more pressure to show their own drone strategies can scale. Human couriers could be exposed in specific delivery lanes if drones become a lower-cost or faster option, though the provided reports do not quantify that impact.