Waymo Calls Uber a 'Cheater' as Driverless-Car Trial Begins

During opening remarks in front of a 10-person jury sitting less than a mile from Uber headquarters, Waymo's lawyers portrayed Uber's former chief executive, Travis Kalanick, as a cheater who would do anything to catch up to his competitor. Uber's attorneys pushed back in their defense, calling Waymo's portrayal "quite a story" while denying the allegations that Uber swiped trade secrets and knowingly used them to develop autonomous vehicles. An Uber attorney, Bill Carmody of Susman Godfrey LLP, said there was no conspiracy or cheating. The high-stakes showdown pits an offshoot of Google against a highflying startup in Uber, two companies estimated to be worth tens of billions of dollars and among the leaders in autonomous-vehicle development. The case could test intellectual property law in Silicon Valley, where top engineers with technical chops are constantly being poached by rival companies.