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Head of Uber’s Robotic-Car Unit Steps Aside Because of Tech Lawsuit
Anthony Levandowski, who was hired last August to head the autonomous car program at Uber Technologies Inc., has agreed not to involve himself with work on sensor technology at the center of a data theft lawsuit against the company, Business Insider reports.
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Anthony Levandowski, who was hired last August to head the autonomous car program at Uber Technologies Inc., has agreed not to involve himself with work on sensor technology at the center of a data theft lawsuit against the company, Business Insider reports.
Levandowski formerly ran a similar development program for Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo affiliate. Waymo claims he stole thousand of secret documents that are now being used by Uber’s self-driving-car developers. Uber denies the claim.
The dispute centers on lidar, the laser-based radar sensing technology that helps robotic cars to precisely detect their surroundings. Levandowski told staff earlier this week he is recusing himself from all oversight and input into Uber’s lidar research.
Until the lawsuit is resolved, Levandowski will step aside as director of Uber’s advanced technologies center in Pittsburgh. He has been replaced in that role by Eric Meyhofer, who came to Uber in 2015 from Pittsburgh-based Carnegie Robotics LLC.
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