The judge in the Uber versus Google spat is looking for a good book recommendation
Getty Images/Business Insider
It's a book recommendation, though, that comes with higher than normal stakes.
Each side gets to name one and only one "book, treatise, article or other reference publicly available" to educate the judge presiding over their legal case about a technology called Lidar and how it's applied to self-driving cars - not your typical bedtime reading, but one that will have seriously influence the judgment of their case.
Last month, Waymo, the self-driving company owned by Google's parent company Alphabet, sued Uber, claiming that one of its employees stole vital Lidar technology shortly before starting his own self-driving company (which Uber later acquired). The trade secrets case is shaping up to be one of the most significant and closely-watched battles in Silicon Valley in years, pitting two of the world's most powerful companies, and former partners, against each other.
That's why Judge William Alsup wants to study up.
According to filing, the judge already knows a lot about lenses and focal lengths. "So, most useful would be literature on adapting LiDAR to self-driving vehicles, including various strategies for positioning light-emitting diodes behind the lens for best overall effect, as well as use of a single lens to project outgoing light as well as to focus on incoming reflections (other than, of course, the patents in suit)," the filing says.
Business Insider's recommended reading list
Both companies will be giving Judge Alsup an in-person tutorial of the technology on April 12, so the book recommendations are due a week before to give plenty of time to read.
In the event Waymo or Uber are lacking in ideas, we decided to come up with a few handy suggestions that might be more entertaining than a single book on light-emitting diodes:
- For some relevant bedtime fiction, we recommend Stephen King's "Christine," a story about a bitter love triangle and a murderous, possessed car that could drive itself.
- To understand Travis Kalanick's thinking, he's a well-known fan of Ayn Rand's "The Fountainhead."
- If it doesn't become part of evidence for the case, Brad Stone's "The Upstarts" tells the story of how Uber's CEO was first wooed into letting Google invest by a self-driving car and when he realized his company could save money from the technology as a result.
- And if a book is too long for the judge, Business Insider has helpfully published a few explainers about how all of the technology works: "Here's how Google's self-driving cars see the world"; "Google reduced the cost of Lidar by 90%"; and the story about the man who invented the first self-driving motorcycle and is now at the center of the case.
Get the latest Google stock price here.
- A centenarian who starts her day with gentle exercise and loves walks shares 5 longevity tips, including staying single
- A couple accidentally shipped their cat in an Amazon return package. It arrived safely 6 days later, hundreds of miles away.
- FSSAI in process of collecting pan-India samples of Nestle's Cerelac baby cereals: CEO
- India's e-commerce market set to skyrocket as the country's digital economy surges to USD 1 Trillion by 2030
- Top 5 places to visit near Rishikesh
- Indian economy remains in bright spot: Ministry of Finance
- A surprise visit: Tesla CEO Elon Musk heads to China after deferring India visit
- Unemployment among Indian youth is high, but it is transient: RBI MPC member
- JNK India IPO allotment date
- JioCinema New Plans
- Realme Narzo 70 Launched
- Apple Let Loose event
- Elon Musk Apology
- RIL cash flows
- Charlie Munger
- Feedbank IPO allotment
- Tata IPO allotment
- Most generous retirement plans
- Broadcom lays off
- Cibil Score vs Cibil Report
- Birla and Bajaj in top Richest
- Nestle Sept 2023 report
- India Equity Market