[jedberg]

> they need driverless cars. That's ten years away

Maybe in the US. But Uber is everywhere. Given their penchant for "bending" the law, I wouldn't be surprised if they start deploying driverless cars in places with more lax regulation, which will 1) help their bottom line, 2) give them more training data, and 3) prove it works to make regulatory issues easier in the US.

That's of course if they can keep their tech, which seems less likely given the waymo suit.

[thrillgore]

I guarantee that if the claims have validity Waymo and Uber will settle and a licensing deal will be agreed upon.

[gtirloni]

Is Waymo required to make a licensing deal?

What would it be worth in $ at this point? Does Uber have deep pockets for _that_ much money at this point?

[tedivm]

I don't believe they are required to make a deal. However, their parent company is a big investor in Uber, so they have some incentive not to drive the Uber into the ground.

[gingerbread-man]

This could be the next IBM PC license if Waymo owns the tech that all driverless cars need to operate. They don't need to make much money off Uber, they need to get their tech out there into production so they can refine it before their competitors can get to market.

[gingerbread-man]

It seems more likely that GV would get additional equity in exchange for the license.