Mexican Media Brands
Waymo Claims Ex-Employee Stole Sensor Tech for Self-Driving Cars
Waymo, the new name for Google Inc.’s autonomous car program, claims a former employee stole details about the company's laser sensors and used them to help launch his own self-driving-tech company.
#workforcedevelopment #legal
Share
Waymo, the new name for Google Inc.’s autonomous car program, claims a former employee stole details about the company's laser sensors and used them to help launch his own self-driving-tech company.
A lawsuit filed in a California federal court asserts that Anthony Levandowski downloaded 14,000 files concerning Waymo’s lidar sensor technology, a key technology that enables robotic cars to "see" around them, before resigning in January 2016.
Levandowski and other former senior managers from Google then launched Otto, a company that developed a retrofit self-driving system for commercial trucks. Otto was acquired by ride-hailing service Uber Technologies Inc. last August.
The lawsuit, which lists Uber and Otto as defendants, says Waymo became aware of the theft when it accidentally received an email showing the design for an Uber lidar circuit board that was almost identical to the one Waymo had designed.
RELATED CONTENT
-
Just In: Ed Welburn to Retire; Mike Simcoe Gets New Job
There are a lot of good people in the auto industry.
-
UPDATE: Unifor Ratifies GM Labor Pact by 86% Margin
Hourly workers at General Motors Co.’s CAMI assembly plant in Ingersoll, Ont., will vote today whether to accept an agreement to end a strike they began on Sept. 17.
-
8 Rules for Getting Things Done Through People
Effective management is a timeless skill—as demonstrated by this treasure of an article from the AutoBeat Group archive. Although the tools of the trade have changed and proliferated, the basics remain the same. Here are 8 old school (and just darn practical) rules for being an excellent manager.
