Waymo Sues Uber, Says Firm Stole Its Autonomous Car Technology

Google driverless car

Alphabet’s Waymo filed a lawsuit Thursday against Uber, claiming several employees stole driverless car patents and trade secrets when they left the company and ultimately brought them to Uber.

Last year, several high-level engineers left Google’s former self-driving car project to form their own companies. Alphabet claims it recently realized Uber is using the same laser Lidar technology developed by Waymo, Forbes reports.

The suit centers on Anthony Levandowski, the current head of Uber’s automated vehicle research team. Levandowski is co-founder of self-driving technology firm Otto (now owned by Uber) and a previous member of Google’s driverless car team. Waymo alleges Levandowski downloaded over 14,000 confidential design files before wiping the computer and seeks an injunction preventing Uber from using any trade secrets.

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's National Newsletters
Related Stories

TPG, ACORE Raise Billions For Opportunistic CRE Funds

Newmark Cuts Earnings Outlook Despite Record Third Quarter

Battered Mortgage REIT Suspends Dividend To Preserve Cash

From Pandemic Darling To Cautionary Tale: Pickleball Clubs Face A Reckoning After Betting Big On Retail Space

Weil Gotshal Wind-Down Leaves 830K SF Hole In America's Office Market

Blackstone Mortgage Trust Reports Unexpected Q3 Net Loss

Tyko Capital Sets New Record For Florida's Largest Construction Loan

Office Recovery Moving Faster Than Expected, CoStar Finds

How Microsoft, Coca-Cola And Amazon Are Adapting Their Offices For AI Age

CoStar To Acquire Aerial Imagery Company For $730M

BXP Execs See Better Returns In Building Offices Than Buying Them

JLL's Q3 Revenue Surges Amid Strong Leasing, Capital Markets Activity