
This story has everything: a cutthroat startup using cloak-and-dagger tactics going up against a corporate giant, a now-dismissed star engineer accused of stealing thousands of crucial files, cutting-edge Silicon Valley technology, and a whipsmart, no-nonsense, tech-savvy judge. This year’s hottest tech-related trial is Waymo v. Uber. At 7:30am PT Monday, what began as a trade secrets lawsuit back in February 2017 is set to open in federal court in San Francisco, just blocks from Uber headquarters.
Main Idea: Waymo and Uber are headed to a major trade secrets trial over whether Uber used stolen self-driving car technology.
Key Points:
The Waymo-Uber fight could slow self-driving car progress and push costs into higher prices, legal fees, or lost jobs if one side is hit with a huge payout.
A clear ruling could make autonomous car rules and trade secret standards more certain for companies, workers, and consumers.
Rate how each entity in this article affected the American people.
Primary opposing party in the lawsuit and central to the article’s focus on autonomous vehicle competition.
Primary party in the lawsuit; its trade secrets and autonomous-driving technology are central to the article.
Named engineer accused of taking files and central to the alleged misappropriation.
Parent company of Waymo and a key corporate actor in the dispute.
Former Uber CEO quoted on the company’s autonomous vehicle strategy and importance of self-driving cars.
The venue where the trial is opening and the judicial body central to the case.
Named as Waymo’s former home and part of the corporate context behind the trade secrets case.
Levandowski’s startup purchased by Uber and directly tied to the controversy.
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Sign in to commentCited as an important institution in the history of autonomous driving and the DARPA Grand Challenge.
Cited as a potential winner in the autonomous-driving race and as a major traditional player.
Named figure from the autonomous driving origin story, mentioned as a former Carnegie Mellon professor.
Mentioned as Levandowski’s graduate institution in the background on his career.