Brief: Google’s Waymo signs self-driving car deal with Lyft after suing Uber

Google’s self-driving car. Photo credit: Singularity University.

The news

• Google’s self-driving car unit Waymo has inked a deal with Uber’s main US rival, Lyft. They will collaborate to bring self-driving cars into the mainstream. Waymo’s strength is in the technology, while Lyft will help it reach more people.
• This comes days after a US federal judge referred Waymo’s lawsuit against Uber to criminal prosecutors, ruling out arbitration. Investigators will look into allegations of trade secret theft. Google said a Waymo engineer downloaded thousands of files before quitting to launch a startup that got acquired by Uber.

Why it matters

• The teaming up of two big Silicon Valley players shifts the balance in a race to bring self-driving cars to the public. It has the potential to disrupt urban transportation.
• The alliance is a threat to Uber’s dominance in ride-sharing, especially in the context of the legal problems looming over Uber’s own self-driving technology. Autonomous cars are expected to transform the monetization and business model of ride-sharing.

Source: The New York Times