That's just Uber trying avoid having their self-driving car department shut-down. But it could definitely still happen. Maybe Uber should apply to Google's 'PatentShield' program ;)
Challenging times indeed.
[1] To understand the meta-joke there is actually a /usr/bin/yes program but in the standard distribution there isn't a /usr/bin/no :-)
It's pretty hard to find something on the internet or in commerce that isn't somehow competing with Google.
I personally have had one IARC approved and one denied (and something like a dozen opensource launches), but from what I've seen, the above statement is accurate.
/usr/bin/yes no
Also, /usr/bin/yes will echo anything you give it.
Having two roles in a lawsuit is a very dangerous thing, no matter how much their ex employee is at fault here they could easily make a lot of smoke out of that.
'Kalanick began courting Levandowski this spring, broaching the possibility of an acquisition during a series of 10-mile night walks from the Soma neighborhood where Uber is also headquartered to the Golden Gate Bridge. The two men would leave their offices separately—to avoid being seen by employees, the press, or competitors. They’d grab takeout food, then rendezvous near the city’s Ferry Building. Levandowski says he saw a union as a way to bring the company’s trucks to market faster.'
How are those trucks coming along, haha.