(Self-driving) car wars heat up between Google, Uber

Uber announced Thursday that it will launch a pilot program with self-driving cabs in the Pittsburgh area. NHTSA's former administrator is celebrating the announcement, but says regulatory challenges exist before self-driving cars are common. David Drummond, one of Alphabet's most senior executives, announced that he was stepping down from Uber's board just as the ride-hailing company announced its intention to dive into self-driving cars - a longtime R&D project of Alphabet's Google. SAN FRANCISCO - If you need a sure sign that the race to develop self-driving cars is no longer just an interesting science project, David Drummond's departure from Uber's board is it. Drummond, an early employee of Alphabet who oversees corporate development and its investment arm for the parent of Google, stepped down Monday after two years of board service Uber. Prior to both companies confirming the departure, tech news site The Information reported that Drummond had been kept out of recent board meetings.