
How a Star Engineer Sparked a War Between Google and Uber - dcgudeman
https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-a-star-engineer-sparked-a-war-between-google-and-uber-1495556308
======
dcgudeman
_Weeks after Google hired him in 2007 to work on a global photo database
called Street View, Mr. Levandowski, then 27 years old, registered a startup
to sell a sensor system to Google for the same project, according to public
records and former employees of both companies.

For the next four years, Mr. Levandowski split his time between his day job at
Google and the startup, 510 Systems LLC, an hour away in Berkeley, Calif.,
where he directed employees to develop technology related to his Google
projects, including self-driving cars, according to former 510 Systems
employees.

After Google discovered the side business, instead of reprimanding Mr.
Levandowski for a potential conflict of interest, it ultimately bought 510
Systems for about $20 million._

