If Waymo can indeed prove that the stolen IP was a major motivation for the Otto acquisition, then the monetary value of that acquisition is a lower bound for t

If Waymo can indeed prove that the stolen IP was a major motivation for the Otto acquisition, then the monetary value of that acquisition is a lower bound for the value of the stolen IP. A lower bound, because when a company acquires another company, it expects an ROI > 1. In the end, in a lawsuit like this, you must come up with an economic model that quantifies the damage, and must convince the judge (or jury, or whoever awards the damage claims) to accept it. So it's also a question of psychology. If you can show that an action was morally outrageous, you have a better chance to get awarded a higher damage claim.