> he was known for having a charismatic (and, to some, annoying) tendency to launch into awkward sermons about the power of technology to change the world. > “

> he was known for having a charismatic (and, to some, annoying) tendency to launch into awkward sermons about the power of technology to change the world. > “If it is your job to advance technology, safety cannot be your No. 1 concern,” Levandowski told me. > Levandowski and Taylor didn’t know how badly damaged the Camry was. They didn’t go back to check on the other driver or to see if anyone else had been hurt. Neither they nor other Google executives made inquiries with the authorities. The police were not informed that a self-driving algorithm had contributed to the accident. Levandowski, rather than being cowed by the incident, later defended it as an invaluable source of data, an opportunity to learn how to avoid similar mistakes. He sent colleagues an e-mail with video of the near-collision. Its subject line was “Prius vs. Camry.” God save us all from engineers with a Messiah complex who think a few boring little lives are a small price to pay for progress.