Uber has sacked the VP at the centre of a court case it’s fighting with Alphabet which owns the self-driving car firm, Waymo. The firing shows that Uber does believe its employee stole trade secrets.
Earlier this year, Alphabet filed a lawsuit against the controversial company, Uber, for stealing trade secrets. In a new development, Anthony Levandowski, the vice president responsible for Uber’s self-driving car project, has been given his walking papers by Uber after refusing to follow court orders to hand over documents related to the technology that Alphabet says he took from them.
Levandowski used to work at Waymo, which Alphabet owns. When Levandowski left for Uber, he allegedly stole trade secrets and 14,000 documents which he then brought to Uber.
A termination letter filed to the court by Uber explains the three major violations that led to Levandowski’s termination: Uber told him to fully comply with court orders; Levandowski didn’t comply with directives issued by Uber in conducting its internal investigation; and the employment agreement requires that employees “have returned or destroyed all property and confidential information belonging to any prior employer.”
With the firing of Levandowski, it seems as though Uber may be found guilty by the court and will likely face a financial penalty. Levandowski’s replacement at Uber, Eric Meyhofer, will stay on in the position he filled.
Source: RT
