'Greed is good': ex-Uber boss likened to Gordon Gekko at trade secrets trial

Lawyers for self-driving car company Waymo play clip from Wall Street in court, as Travis Kalanick is accused of stealing rival's ideas Wed 7 Feb 2018 16.23 EST Last modified on Wed 7 Feb 2018 17.42 EST A scene from the 1987 movie Wall Street became a flashpoint in the trial in which Google's driverless car spinoff Waymo accuses the ride-hailing company Uber of stealing trade secrets. "The point is, ladies and gentlemen, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good," said the lead character, Gordon Gekko, played by Michael Douglas, in a grainy YouTube video shown on Wednesday to a packed room in San Francisco's federal court. The former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick watched from the stand, shifting in his seat. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms – greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge – has marked the upward surge of mankind."