Uber pressured over discs

Ousted Uber CEO Travis Kalanick learned early last year that the engineer who until recently oversaw the company’s driverless car project possessed discs of information from Google, according to a court filing.

Kalanick, who resigned under pressure Monday, told Anthony Levandowski around March 2016 that Uber didn’t want the information and that he shouldn’t bring it to the ride-hailing company, and the engineer told management that he destroyed the discs, according to the filing.

The exchange was revealed late Wednesday in a trade secrets lawsuit that Alphabet’s Waymo filed against Uber in federal court in San Francisco. While driverless cars aren’t expected on U.S. roads for five to 10 years, the companies are fighting for technology that will put the winner ahead of rivals, including established carmakers, in a multibillion-dollar industry. The litigation was cited as a primary cause of concern in an investor letter to Kalanick that led to his forced resignation.

Waymo argues in the filing that Uber’s waiting until June 5 to disclose the exchange, and its knowledge of the destruction of the discs, require the company to prove to U.S. District Judge William Alsup that it’s not in contempt of court for repeatedly violating his orders to turn over information.