Levandowski files suit against Uber [pdf] • Hacker News Board

Re: Levandowski files suit against Uber [pdf]

#71

Post by unreal37 » Sat, Jul 18, 2020, 3:49 AM UTC

arciini wrote: post #28

While I don't think Levandowski is a good guy (he did take a bunch of files, even if I think it's unlikely they were used in any real way), I think the way Google pursued him hinders skilled individuals from switching between companies and spreading innovation. Here's an excerpt from a New Yorker article about the case: > The judge, William Alsup, quickly tired of such distractions. “Despite the excellent quality of…

Google paid him $175 million in bonuses in less than a year. And then he quit, stole all the source code, accessed 30+ Google Docs after he left, and convinced 16 co-workers to leave Google too.

That's just asking to be sued.

In fact, the major requirement for him to be acquired by Uber was that they indemnify him. He knew he did something wrong.

Re: Levandowski files suit against Uber [pdf]

#72

Post by filmgirlcw » Sat, Jul 18, 2020, 4:25 AM UTC

m0zg wrote: post #30

ghaff wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Being a smart engineer is no more a pass for being morally bankrupt than being skilled in some aspect of business,

No argument there. But at least he's a "smart engineer". Holmes wasn't even that.

No, she wasn’t. She was a fraud from top to bottom — but she still convinced investors, powerful people, and talented engineers to invest in her, defend her, and join her company. She’s morally bankrupt but her lack of engineering acumen isn’t related to that.

Levandowski is morally bankrupt too — and sloppy when it came to covering his tracks — the fact that he’s a brilliant engineer doesn’t make his actions more palpable.

Both are bad people and I’m not comfortable giving a guy a pass just because he was smart. Ultimately, he was just as greedy as Holmes. He wasn’t satisfied with the nine figure payouts both from Google and Uber (and his Uber money could have exceeded ten figures depending on stock options) and had to go for even more.

Fuck that guy. Fuck Elizabeth Holmes too, but Fuck Levandowski.

Re: Levandowski files suit against Uber [pdf]

#73

Post by oh_sigh » Sat, Jul 18, 2020, 4:39 AM UTC

pocw wrote: post #64

arciini wrote: post #28

While I don't think Levandowski is a good guy (he did take a bunch of files, even if I think it's unlikely they were used in any real way), I think the way Google pursued him hinders skilled individuals from switching between companies and spreading innovation. Here's an excerpt from a New Yorker article about the case: > The judge, William Alsup, quickly tired of such distractions. “Despite the excellent quality of…

The dude stole all the IP. He literally downloaded it all on purpose the day before he left. And took his team with him. And had a meeting with the head of Uber (a rival) the day before he left, to plan his de-facto selling of the Google self driving car project (which he did not own but which he could basically duplicate with stolen IP and poached people). If you or I did any of those things we'd have been crucified…

Imagine if Lewandowski was Chinese and going to be bought out by a Chinese tech company...

Re: Levandowski files suit against Uber [pdf]

#74

Post by oh_sigh » Sat, Jul 18, 2020, 4:41 AM UTC

lambdasquirrel wrote: post #67

pocw wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The dude stole all the IP. He literally downloaded it all on purpose the day before he left. And took his team with him. And had a meeting with the head of Uber (a rival) the day before he left, to plan his de-facto selling of the Google self driving car project (which he did not own but which he could basically duplicate with stolen IP and poached people). If you or I did any of those things we'd have been crucified…

Not to mention that his Google comp was in the neighborhood of 9 figures.

Doesn't that count basically include the acquihire that google did for his company?

Re: Levandowski files suit against Uber [pdf]

#75

Post by Hydraulix989 » Sat, Jul 18, 2020, 4:42 AM UTC

lambdasquirrel wrote: post #67

pocw wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The dude stole all the IP. He literally downloaded it all on purpose the day before he left. And took his team with him. And had a meeting with the head of Uber (a rival) the day before he left, to plan his de-facto selling of the Google self driving car project (which he did not own but which he could basically duplicate with stolen IP and poached people). If you or I did any of those things we'd have been crucified…

Not to mention that his Google comp was in the neighborhood of 9 figures.

Why would he even give that up to go to Uber (let alone risk criminal charges)? Was he somehow under the impression that he would hit 10 figures at Uber? Why does any single person even need that much money to begin with? Give me 9 figures (or even 7), and I will call it a day. I'm really trying to understand his individual rationalization here.

Re: Levandowski files suit against Uber [pdf]

#76

Post by justapassenger » Sat, Jul 18, 2020, 4:42 AM UTC

arciini wrote: post #28

While I don't think Levandowski is a good guy (he did take a bunch of files, even if I think it's unlikely they were used in any real way), I think the way Google pursued him hinders skilled individuals from switching between companies and spreading innovation. Here's an excerpt from a New Yorker article about the case: > The judge, William Alsup, quickly tired of such distractions. “Despite the excellent quality of…

> hinders skilled individuals from switching between companies and spreading innovation

This is gross misrepresentation of what happened. It’s not some smart, lone engineer leaving for competition and bringing some good ideas from previous employees with him.

It’s an executive (with a technical background, but still), paid insane amount of money, deciding to steal majority of trade secrets for an unreleased product, developed by thousands of people, just so he can sell it to a competitor for an obscene amount of money.

It’s not a little guy vs big corp. It’s a greedy and ruthless executive vs corporation.

Re: Levandowski files suit against Uber [pdf]

#77

Post by AnimalMuppet » Sat, Jul 18, 2020, 4:50 AM UTC

6gvONxR4sf7o wrote: post #60

This is an interesting claim. It basically says that Uber knew about Levandowski's crimes when they agreed to indemnify him against claims brought by Google. Given the way Uber seems to work, this wouldn't surprise me at all. There seems to be a lot of bullshit in this claim, but that specific piece wouldn't surprise me. Mostly unrelatedly, this part seems particularly shitty: > In fact, Uber had considered acquiring…

The kind of people who will work with you to rip off others are also the kind of people who will rip you off. Who knew?

Re: Levandowski files suit against Uber [pdf]

#78

Post by KKKKkkkk1 » Sat, Jul 18, 2020, 5:20 AM UTC

Hydraulix989 wrote: post #75

lambdasquirrel wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not to mention that his Google comp was in the neighborhood of 9 figures.

Why would he even give that up to go to Uber (let alone risk criminal charges)? Was he somehow under the impression that he would hit 10 figures at Uber? Why does any single person even need that much money to begin with? Give me 9 figures (or even 7), and I will call it a day. I'm really trying to understand his individual rationalization here.

Money isn't everything, especially when you already have lots of it. People are willing to go to great lengths when they feel they're being marginalized.

On January 7, 2016, Levandowski emailed Larry Page with a plea: “Chauffeur is broken,” he wrote, according to a document revealed during the civil suit. “We’re losing our tech advantage fast.” He offered to start a separate self-driving effort within Google but was shot down. A few weeks later, after allegedly downloading those 14,000 files, he resigned. “I want to be in the driver seat, not the passenger seat, and right now [it] feels like I’m in the trunk,” he told Page.

https://www.wired.com/story/anthony-levandowski-put-himself-...

Re: Levandowski files suit against Uber [pdf]

#79

Post by ramraj07 » Sat, Jul 18, 2020, 5:20 AM UTC

Uhhrrr wrote: post #46

ramraj07 wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here we go with the "bad apples" again. Let's face it. It was all fun and games until silicon valley was the underdog. Now this place makes and inevitably breaks the world. As is natural, places of power will attract people of malice. It will bring out selfishness and pride from a fraction of any random group of people that are given this opportunity. The undoing of any rebellion is the flawed belief that the rebels…

Did you mean to say "while Silicon Valley was the underdog"?

Yes. Not my first language!

Re: Levandowski files suit against Uber [pdf]

#80

Post by m0zg » Sat, Jul 18, 2020, 5:22 AM UTC

ghaff wrote: post #44

m0zg wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No argument there. But at least he's a "smart engineer". Holmes wasn't even that.

If you honestly think that being smart on some dimension that you personally think is particularly virtuous is some sort of get out of jail free card, you might want to re-think your ethics.

I think you've tried and failed to read my mind. Don't try that in the future. It never works, and it makes you look dumb.