Uber Self-Driving Car Exec Steps Aside During Google Lawsuit
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The executive running Uber's self-driving car division is stepping aside while the company defends itself against charges that he provided the project with technology stolen from a Google spinoff.
Anthony Levandowski, an autonomous vehicle expert who defected from Google last year, notified Uber's staff of his decision in a Thursday email.
He will remain at Uber, but won't be overseeing a crucial self-driving car project while the ride-hailing service is locked in a legal showdown with Waymo, a rival started by Google eight years ago.
Waymo filed a lawsuit in February accusing Levandowski of illegally downloading its blueprints for a navigation technology known as lidar before founding a startup that he later sold to Uber for $680 million.
Uber has denied its self-driving cars are using Waymo's technology.
Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter
(Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
