The Smartest Thing About DoorDash’s New Drone Strategy Might Have Nothing to Do With Drones

Sending deliveries by drone is hard. DoorDash’s secret sauce may be its software.

Thirteen years ago, Tony Xu, Andy Fang, and Stanley Tang started what would become DoorDash by delivering orders out of a Honda Accord, ferrying takeout across Palo Alto because nobody else would. They’ve since moved on from that Accord: On July 29, 2026, the same three co-founders confirmed that DoorDash had earned Part 135 certification from the Federal Aviation Administration, making it the eighth company in the country cleared to fly commercial delivery drones.

The new unit is called DoorDash Air. “We want drone delivery to work for any merchant, anywhere,” said Harrison Shih, Head of DoorDash Air, in the announcement. DoorDash Air was built inside DoorDash Labs, the group behind Dot, the sidewalk........

© Inc.com