Business · organisation

Larry Page on Uber

Litigation participant (strong)

TL;DR

Larry Page's position on Uber is primarily evidenced through his involvement in litigation concerning Uber's alleged theft of self-driving car trade secrets from Waymo.

Key Points

He was deposed in the legal dispute between Waymo and Uber regarding alleged trade secret theft by a former Google engineer.
Page was questioned about compensation such as a bonus in excess of $120 million paid to Anthony Levandowski.
His testimony touched upon internal management headaches related to Levandowski’s desire to lead the Project Chauffeur team.

Summary

Larry Page's views concerning Uber are most prominently documented through his participation in legal proceedings involving Google's self-driving car unit, Waymo, and Uber. Specifically, Page was deposed in the lawsuit where Waymo alleged that Uber's Advanced Technology Group (ATG) acquired trade secrets improperly, including testimony related to key former Google employee Anthony Levandowski. During his deposition, Page discussed compensation structures, like a large payment to Levandowski, and the management dynamic surrounding the autonomous vehicle project, indicating a serious corporate dispute between the two entities.

His involvement suggests a highly adversarial stance toward Uber regarding intellectual property, though his testimony was often carefully controlled, as is typical in such legal situations. The entire context frames Page as a principal figure on the side bringing forward serious claims against Uber concerning its early autonomous vehicle development and acquisition of talent. His focus, in this instance, was protecting Alphabet's technology interests against a direct competitor.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Larry Page's position on Uber?

Larry Page's position on Uber, as revealed through public documents, is primarily defined by his company Alphabet's lawsuit against Uber through Waymo. He participated in a deposition where he addressed the alleged misappropriation of trade secrets by former Google staff who moved to Uber. This indicates a strongly defensive and litigious stance regarding Waymo's intellectual property.

Has Larry Page changed his stance on Uber?

The available information primarily reflects Larry Page's stance during the height of the Waymo vs. Uber litigation around 2017 and 2018. His statements in the deposition were highly focused on the specific legal claims of trade secret misappropriation against Uber's self-driving unit. Given his general withdrawal from day-to-day roles, his current, specific position on Uber's general business strategy is less clear.

What did Larry Page say about Uber in court?

During his deposition, Larry Page addressed questions about the compensation structure at his autonomous vehicle project, Waymo, specifically concerning Anthony Levandowski. He also provided testimony about the dynamics within the team that eventually became Waymo, detailing management issues related to that key departing engineer. His answers were reportedly very cautious, consistent with standard deposition procedures.