Google vs. Uber: How One Engineer Sparked a War
One should always seek for opportunities whenever, wherever, and however possible. Yet, there is one caveat: not at the expense of others.
As one of pioneers in the sensor technology and driverless car projects, Anthony Levandowski has been spearheading the disruptions of the automotive and tech industries. His former employer, Google, encouraged its employees to spend 20% of their work hours on side projects. It was a gracious act. However, Anthony not only took advantage of such policy, but also allegedly leveraged the firm’s intellectual property to gain financial benefits through his side projects - starting his own secret companies to sell products directly to Google. Now, he took even bolder steps to get handsome paychecks and bonuses from Uber, a main competitor of Google in the autonomous vehicle space. He almost poured scorn on the non-competition agreement he previously signed with Google.
It’s still an ongoing investigation, so it’s a little early to claim any wrongdoings of Mr. Levandowski. Yet, it's a good time for companies to revisit their corporate policies and employee trainings to make sure they clarify some grey areas - like entrepreneurship vs. piracy.