Uber Self-Driving Car Head Forced To Step Aside Amid Waymo Lawsuit

With so many fires that it needs to put it, it would seem that Uber finally realized that it can’t keep operating as if nothing is happening if it wants to survive. To this end, an email from the cab-hailing firm confirmed that its head of self-driving division Anthony Levandowski will be stepping aside. This has to do with the fact that Levandowski is at the center of a lawsuit with Waymo, accusing him of stealing company secrets.

Although he will no longer be leading Uber’s self-driving team, it would seem that Levandowski will still be part of the company’s effort to create a driverless fleet of cabs, CNN reports. Eric Meyhofer will be the embattled executive’s replacement and Levandowski will be reporting to him from this point until the lawsuit is settled.

This was hardly a surprise, especially given the fact that Uber’s move to plead the Fifth when Waymo asked for the cab-hailing company to hand over any document it may have that contains stolen information was struck down. The US Court of Appeals ruled for Uber to comply with the request, which effectively made Levandowski a bigger liability than he already was.

In an email that Business Insider acquired, it would seem that the removal was voluntary. Levandowski even noted in the email, which was addressed to his team that he shouldn’t be included in meetings with regards to self-driving technology anymore, especially those that have to do with LIDAR.

“I want to let you know that Travis and I have decided that I will be recused from all LiDAR-related work and management at Uber, through the remainder of the Waymo litigation,” the email reads. “This change means that Eric Meyhofer will be the head of ATG, reporting to Travis, and I will report to Eric. My other responsibilities will not change.”