4 ms·

The figure is estimated based on the investement google has made.

zaroth 9y ago
Didn't we just read Google has invested $1.1B into self driving and a significant portion of that was paid to Levandowski?
- adventured 9y ago
  It'd be based on a more comprehensive view of total damages. The investment already made, the present estimated value (they'd probably argue it's a multiple of the original investment), and some amount of future potential value that Waymo may be deprived of due to Uber's actions (not sure how well that would hold up here, it's a very unclear extrapolation, unlike say a business with consistent earnings over many years).
- Animats 9y ago
  The amusing thing is that Levandowski comes out of this just fine. As a Google employee, he was required to sign an arbitration agreement. That cuts both ways - Google can't sue him. Google did take him to arbitration, and there was some settlement, but apparently not a huge one. That's over, and Google can't reopen that matter.
  - jonathankoren 9y ago
    The arbitration didn't involve trade secret claims, which the lawsuit against Uber does. Instead, the arbitration involved poaching employees.[0] Poaching employees is child's play compared to stealing the LIDAR design. Second, Judge Alsup referred the case the US attorney's office for criminal investigation. If convicted of intellectual property theft (and there's a lot of evidence about this), Anthony Levandowski could be end up in prison for a very long time. [0] https://techcrunch.com/2017/03/29/waymo-pursued-arbitration-with-anthony-levandowski-before-it-sued-uber/ https://techcrunch.com/2017/03/29/waymo-pursued-arbitration-... [1] https://www.wired.com/2017/05/googles-fight-uber-takes-turn-criminal/ https://www.wired.com/2017/05/googles-fight-uber-takes-turn-...
    - xiaoma 9y ago
      >"If convicted of intellectual property theft (and there's a lot of evidence about this), Anthony Levandowski could be end up in prison for a very long time." That's just barbaric. Yes, IP laws serve a public good when they're able to balance the needs of incentivizing creative endeavors with ensuring those endeavors eventually end up in the public domain. But it's not even remotely morally defensible to put a human being in a fucking cage for years because they shared some secrets related to making self-driving cars. The US already has way too non-violent people in prison.
  - tryingagainbro 9y ago
    The amusing thing is that Levandowski comes out of this just fine I'm pretty sure he regrets what he has done. About half of his money has gone to taxes and the rest has a way of going pretty fast when you have a Google and DOJ on your back. So, I doubt that he will be fine.
    - user5994461 9y ago
      He can surely manage... even with half of his 120 million dollar bonus going to taxes.
      - tryingagainbro 9y ago
        That's 60 million, assuming that anything prior to that is relatively pocket change. Lawyers cost $1000+ an hour and you need several, for years. Not to mention any possible claw-back, lawsuits for fraud, theft etc etc. There was an article yesterday here; Lance Armstrong has spent some $15 million on his lawyers alone so far.

Didn't we just read Google has invested $1.1B into self driving and a significant portion of that was paid to Levandowski?

adventured 9y ago
It'd be based on a more comprehensive view of total damages. The investment already made, the present estimated value (they'd probably argue it's a multiple of the original investment), and some amount of future potential value that Waymo may be deprived of due to Uber's actions (not sure how well that would hold up here, it's a very unclear extrapolation, unlike say a business with consistent earnings over many years).
Animats 9y ago
The amusing thing is that Levandowski comes out of this just fine. As a Google employee, he was required to sign an arbitration agreement. That cuts both ways - Google can't sue him. Google did take him to arbitration, and there was some settlement, but apparently not a huge one. That's over, and Google can't reopen that matter.
- jonathankoren 9y ago
  The arbitration didn't involve trade secret claims, which the lawsuit against Uber does. Instead, the arbitration involved poaching employees.[0] Poaching employees is child's play compared to stealing the LIDAR design. Second, Judge Alsup referred the case the US attorney's office for criminal investigation. If convicted of intellectual property theft (and there's a lot of evidence about this), Anthony Levandowski could be end up in prison for a very long time. [0] https://techcrunch.com/2017/03/29/waymo-pursued-arbitration-with-anthony-levandowski-before-it-sued-uber/ https://techcrunch.com/2017/03/29/waymo-pursued-arbitration-... [1] https://www.wired.com/2017/05/googles-fight-uber-takes-turn-criminal/ https://www.wired.com/2017/05/googles-fight-uber-takes-turn-...
  - xiaoma 9y ago
    >"If convicted of intellectual property theft (and there's a lot of evidence about this), Anthony Levandowski could be end up in prison for a very long time." That's just barbaric. Yes, IP laws serve a public good when they're able to balance the needs of incentivizing creative endeavors with ensuring those endeavors eventually end up in the public domain. But it's not even remotely morally defensible to put a human being in a fucking cage for years because they shared some secrets related to making self-driving cars. The US already has way too non-violent people in prison.
- tryingagainbro 9y ago
  The amusing thing is that Levandowski comes out of this just fine I'm pretty sure he regrets what he has done. About half of his money has gone to taxes and the rest has a way of going pretty fast when you have a Google and DOJ on your back. So, I doubt that he will be fine.
  - user5994461 9y ago
    He can surely manage... even with half of his 120 million dollar bonus going to taxes.
    - tryingagainbro 9y ago
      That's 60 million, assuming that anything prior to that is relatively pocket change. Lawyers cost $1000+ an hour and you need several, for years. Not to mention any possible claw-back, lawsuits for fraud, theft etc etc. There was an article yesterday here; Lance Armstrong has spent some $15 million on his lawyers alone so far.