May 19, 2017 - Technology

Uber orders self-driving car exec to return Waymo files

AP

Uber has asked Anthony Levandowski, the executive at the center of a major lawsuit with Waymo, to cooperate with a court's order to return any files he has back to Waymo — or risk losing his job, Recode reports. Uber has also asked him to waive his Fifth Amendment rights he asserted earlier in the case.

Why this is a big deal: Uber general counsel Salle Yoo's letter to Levandowski is a major shift toward the executive as Uber works to comply with the judge's order to compel him to turn over any documents he has. Levandowski, who is close with Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, has already stepped down as head of its self-driving car unit. Uber is aggressively trying to take the steps needed to resolve the court case that threatens to undermine its driverless plans

Go deeper