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Anthony Levandowski, then-head of Uber’s self-driving program, speaks about their driverless car in San Francisco. A Google-bred pioneer in self-driving cars will collide with Uber’s beleaguered ride-hailing service in a courtroom showdown Monday, Feb. 4, 2018, revolving around allegations of deceit, betrayal, espionage and a high-tech heist that tore apart one-time allies.
SAN FRANCISCO >> A Google-bred pioneer in self-driving cars and Uber’s beleaguered ride-hailing service are colliding in a courtroom showdown revolving around allegations of deceit, betrayal, espionage and a high-tech heist that tore apart one-time allies.
The trial opening Monday in San Francisco federal court comes nearly a year after Google spin-off Waymo accused Uber of ripping off its self-driving car technology after paying $680 million for a startup run by a former Google engineer.
Google was also an early investor in Uber, a relationship that later soured. Its parent company Alphabet also owns Waymo.
The courtroom drama features an intriguing cast of characters, including former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick and Google co-founder Larry Page.
The civil case already triggered an ongoing criminal investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice.
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