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Anthony Levandowski Charged with Theft of Trade Secrets

nytimes.com

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Re: Anthony Levandowski Charged with Theft of Trade Secrets

#131

Post by ohazi »

cletus wrote: post #53

The level of greed, hubris and stupidity of some people never ceases to amaze me. Levandowski was paid a bonus of $120 million while at Google, which is more money than any reasonable person will need for several lifetimes. This was actually a running joke at Google (while I was still there) to describe $120M as "1 Levadownski". Like Sundar one year was described as earning "only 1.7 Levadownskis" (he got paid $200M…

> Honestly it makes me glad when such charlatan have their almost inevitable fall from grace.

"almost inevitable?" -- really?

Seems like most of them get away with it. That's what makes them so frustrating, and why it's such a big story when they do get punished (even inadequately).

Re: Anthony Levandowski Charged with Theft of Trade Secrets

#132

Post by woofyman »

paul7986 wrote: post #110
paul7986 wrote: post #96

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But his former employer is no different as Google blatantly steals IP themselves and gets caught in the process! See this popular HN thread https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18566929 You want to see him strung up for ripping off a company whose does the same thing and he probably witnessed and was taught to do it there(directly or indirectly).

Hmm no one answers why they are down voting something on topic here. Those who downvote this are doing so because You don't believe Google does exactly what Anthony did? That Google is a company who does no evil? What I'm saying is relevant and truthful and as noted clearly well documented!

You’ve made the same point in 3 separate posts.

Re: Anthony Levandowski Charged with Theft of Trade Secrets

#133

Post by jaxbot »

fstuff wrote: post #107
cletus wrote: post #53

The level of greed, hubris and stupidity of some people never ceases to amaze me. Levandowski was paid a bonus of $120 million while at Google, which is more money than any reasonable person will need for several lifetimes. This was actually a running joke at Google (while I was still there) to describe $120M as "1 Levadownski". Like Sundar one year was described as earning "only 1.7 Levadownskis" (he got paid $200M…

It's weird walking away from 120 million but I think I might get what he was thinking. He was probably over confident with the tech, and thought it was close to roll out. He was also probably thinking the tech was worth billions. I bet Anthony felt he built the tech himself and he owned it. He probably wanted and felt like he deserved a bigger piece of the multi billon dollar self driving pie than just 120 million.

If you read through Autonomy by Lawrence Burns, the author states that Levandowski felt the project was losing focus & getting too bloated, and wanted to disrupt it with a Team Macintosh style parallel project that he would head.

It could've just been part of the big ego'd power struggle that occurred on the project and saw the exit of many early stage employees, but I also wonder if he had a point, looking back today at the stages the project went through. It's hard not to feel like they thought they were close to launch, only to hit some roadblocks and need to rebuild major chunks of it. Speculation. But they're a huge company with a product that is at risk of getting usurped at this point.

Re: Anthony Levandowski Charged with Theft of Trade Secrets

#134

Post by DenisM »

throwaway_law wrote: post #73
inlined wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used to go back to my university and speak at the ethics class in my recruiting trips. I stopped after people’s questions changed to “Uber, Airbnb, etc all succeeded because they broke the law. Why are ethics important?” and I had no real answer.

>I stopped after people’s questions changed to “Uber, Airbnb, etc all succeeded because they broke the law. Why are ethics important?” and I had no real answer. You should go back to it, as those are examples of why ethics are needed more than ever. As someone in the "trenches" and who sees the damage done by them everyday, I'd suggest you can point to the trail of damage they left in their wake and the real lives th…

> In the case of Uber I would simply start with highlighting the number of drivers who now have criminal records as a result of doing nothing more than driving for Uber

Do you have a link? I found nothing of the kind on google.

Re: Anthony Levandowski Charged with Theft of Trade Secrets

#135

Post by nathanvanfleet »

cletus wrote: post #53

The level of greed, hubris and stupidity of some people never ceases to amaze me. Levandowski was paid a bonus of $120 million while at Google, which is more money than any reasonable person will need for several lifetimes. This was actually a running joke at Google (while I was still there) to describe $120M as "1 Levadownski". Like Sundar one year was described as earning "only 1.7 Levadownskis" (he got paid $200M…

I think it's just a scenario where once you are in the big leagues that becomes the group you compare yourself to. I don't think about the kind of comp c-suite people get besides sometimes just being boggled by the concept. But if I was making that kind of money I'm sure I'd be seeing other people making a bit more and trying to get there just the same.

But yeah I think that I would have the common sense to just bow out with just a few years of that comp and be happy, but the fact that I would be satisfied by that probably means I wouldn't go to the lengths that people like that go to get there in the first place.

And that includes the kind of psychotic back stabbing and self promotion, but also all the hard work required as well.

Re: Anthony Levandowski Charged with Theft of Trade Secrets

#136

Post by nathanvanfleet »

fortran77 wrote: post #105
cletus wrote: post #53

The level of greed, hubris and stupidity of some people never ceases to amaze me. Levandowski was paid a bonus of $120 million while at Google, which is more money than any reasonable person will need for several lifetimes. This was actually a running joke at Google (while I was still there) to describe $120M as "1 Levadownski". Like Sundar one year was described as earning "only 1.7 Levadownskis" (he got paid $200M…

Perhaps he's innocent?

Why would Uber immediately settle?

Re: Anthony Levandowski Charged with Theft of Trade Secrets

#137

Post by Apocryphon »

akhilcacharya wrote: post #125
cletus wrote: post #53

The level of greed, hubris and stupidity of some people never ceases to amaze me. Levandowski was paid a bonus of $120 million while at Google, which is more money than any reasonable person will need for several lifetimes. This was actually a running joke at Google (while I was still there) to describe $120M as "1 Levadownski". Like Sundar one year was described as earning "only 1.7 Levadownskis" (he got paid $200M…

Can't wait for the Levandowski movie.

The Big Levandowski.

Re: Anthony Levandowski Charged with Theft of Trade Secrets

#138

Post by kragen »

lordlaser9 wrote: post #92
kragen wrote: post #44

"Theft of trade secrets" is how Silicon Valley was built. Fairchild was "theft of trade secrets" from Shockley; Intel was "theft of trade secrets" from Fairchild. When Camenzind left Signetics and designed the 555 (under contract to Signetics), he was "using trade secrets" of Signetics; in today's legal environment, they could have just ordered him to stick around as an employee and work on a less risky project. MOST…

Lawyers and investors provide pathways to the market that allow engineers to build things that have actual value. The idea that engineers like you and I hold all of the tools and training to "create wealth" is too dismissive of those professions.

BTW, calling "investors" a "profession" is profoundly insulting to the professions. A profession — canonically, law, medicine, academia, or the clergy — is a vocation that answers to a higher ideal than mere self-interest and obedience. Investors are just people who bought things.

Re: Anthony Levandowski Charged with Theft of Trade Secrets

#139

Post by OBLIQUE_PILLAR »

curious_fella1 wrote: post #91
dilyevsky wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Check out other reports - he clearly was enabled by lary for a long time by letting him get away with anything (self-dealing, employee abuse, borderline illegal stuff, etc). Not surprising he felt invincible after this. Just like with social clusterfuck Lary bears at least part of the blame here.

Do you have any sources? I haven't heard of that (although it would hardly surprise me), would be curious to read.

look in this story for "expense report"

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2018/10/22/did-uber-steal...

Re: Anthony Levandowski Charged with Theft of Trade Secrets

#140

Post by sdiq »

kragen wrote: post #119
lordlaser9 wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Lawyers and investors provide pathways to the market that allow engineers to build things that have actual value. The idea that engineers like you and I hold all of the tools and training to "create wealth" is too dismissive of those professions.

Yes, the truth is more nuanced: production is a collective endeavor that requires knowledge, energy, raw materials, labor, and capital equipment. Here in Argentina, the government is still in the hands of landowners, who control the raw materials, just like in the medieval feudal system. The US, on the other hand, is largely run by investors, whose access to capital to invest in capital equipment was the crucial limi…

If for example, your government were to ban import of these computers from other countries, say, for a few years. Do you think that would have any effect on the economy of the country? Do you think this would spur curiosity where the energy spent on idolizing Maradona is instead focused on developing the expertise needed to develop computers locally?
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