Uber rejects claims it stole Waymo's self-driving car tech

Uber is dismissing allegations that it stole trade secrets from self-driving car rival Waymo, calling them "a baseless attempt to slow down a competitor." "We look forward to vigorously defending against them in court," the company said in an email on Friday. The day before, Waymo, a spin-off from Google's self-driving car initiative, filed a lawsuit against Uber, claiming that the company had stolen designs for a key technology that makes computer-led driving possible. According to the lawsuit, Uber allegedly built a LiDAR system for its own self-driving car that lifts confidential designs from Waymo's own technology. LiDAR, which stands for Light Detection and Ranging, can essentially help an autonomous car map its surroundings.