The battle of the self-driving titans is finally over.
The arduous legal battle between Uber and Waymo, Alphabet ’s self-driving car unit, has finally concluded, with both parties reaching a settlement.
Alphabet sued Uber after it acquired Otto in 2016. Otto was founded by Anthony Levandowski, a former lead in Alphabet’s self-driving car efforts.
Alphabet argues that before leaving Waymo, Levandowski stole nearly 10GB of proprietary technical data and trade secrets. This includes blueprints, design files, and technical documentation.
In a statement from Dara Khosrowshahi, Uber’s CEO, the company denied “ any trade secrets made their way from Waymo to Uber.” However, short of an admission of guilt, he accepted that the acquisition of Otto “could and should have been handled differently.”
To settle this battle, Uber is to work with Waymo in order to ensure the company doesn’t use any of Waymo’s technology and research in its self-driving efforts. It has also agreed to give Waymo 0.34 percent of Uber’s equity. This is valued at roughly $245 million.
You can read Khosrowshahi’s full statement below:
A spokesperson for Waymo said the following:
This story is developing
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