Uber Fires Autonomous Car Researcher Involved in Lawsuit
Uber has followed through on threats to fire a star autonomous car researcher whose hiring touched off a bitter legal fight with Waymo, the former self-driving car arm of Google.
| May 30, 2017, at 5:11 p.m.
 FILE - In this Dec. 13, 2016, file photo, Anthony Levandowski, head of Uber's self-driving program, speaks about their driverless car in San Francisco. Uber has followed through on threats to fire Levandowski, a star autonomous car researcher whose hiring touched off a bitter legal fight with Waymo, the former self-driving car arm of Google. Waymo has alleged that Levandowski downloaded 14,000 documents containing trade secrets before he founded a startup that was purchased by Uber. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg, File) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
By TOM KRISHER, AP Auto Writer
DETROIT (AP) — Uber has followed through on threats to fire star autonomous-car researcher Anthony Levandowski, whose hiring touched off a bitter trade-secrets fight with Waymo, the former self-driving car arm of Google.
Waymo has alleged that Levandowski downloaded 14,000 documents containing its trade secrets before he left the company to found a startup that was later purchased by Uber. Earlier this month, U.S. District Judge William Alsup ordered Uber to return the documents and referred the case to the U.S. Attorney's Office in San Francisco for possible criminal investigation.
Uber General Counsel Salle Yoo told Levandowski in a letter filed in court by Levandowski's lawyers that he hasn't complied with Uber's requests to cooperate in obeying the judge's order to return the documents.
"Your failure impeded Uber's internal investigation and defense of the lawsuit," the letter, dated Friday, stated. It said that Levandowski was fired for cause and that he has a contractual right to correct "deficiencies" within 20 days.
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