Kalanick said that he initially looked at Alphabet CEO Larry Page and Alphabet chief legal officer David Drummond "as mentors." In retrospect, however, he might have been more like a little brother who wanted more of their time than they wanted to give.

Drummond would join Uber's board as part of a mid-2013 investment by Google Ventures but, by May 2014, Uber "started hearing rumors" that Google wanted to get into ride-sharing. It was the first time Kalanick began to view Google as a possible rival, rather than a partner.

Kalanick also testified that his introduction to a self-driving car was when Page picked him up in one prior to the investment, but that Page would later become upset at Uber for acquiring a team of autonomous technology engineers from Carnegie Mellon University. "He was a little angsty and said, 'Why are you doing my thing?'" Kalanickrecalled of a 2016 meeting with Page.