Future Industry Battle: Waymo Sues Uber Over Lidar Trade Secrets

In February 2017, Waymo, Alphabet's autonomous driving division, filed a lawsuit against competitor Uber, alleging the theft of Lidar technology and trade secrets. The suit centered on former Waymo employee Anthony Levandowski, who transferred thousands of confidential documents to Otto, the self-driving truck company later acquired by Uber.

This lawsuit marked an intense legal battle between technology giants for dominance in the future industry of autonomous vehicle technology, highlighting Lidar's critical strategic value as the central perception system for self-driving, drawing close attention from global investment firms.