It is not so often that our focus on transportation technology forces us to pay attention to, say, a federal courthouse in San Jose, where a man wearing a dark suit and no tie waits to be arraigned for charges that could land him in prison for many years. But that is exactly what happened this week, when a father of this era of automated vehicle technology, the former Uber and Waymo engineer Anthony Levandowski, was indicted on federal charges of trade secret theft. If this sounds like a rerun, it sort of is: The same incidents that spawned this indictment also lead Waymo to sue Uber in 2017, in a case that was later settled for $245 million in Uber equity. Who is this Levandowski character, and why should you care about him? And what happens next? We’ve got you covered.
Also this week, researchers uncover a Tesla security bug, and Uber and Lyft seemed increasingly desperate to stop a California law that would classify drivers as employees instead of independent contractors. It’s been a week. Let’s get you caught up.
Headlines
Stories you might have missed from WIRED this week
- A California bill would reclassify many independent contractors as employees—and Uber and Lyft (not to mention other tech companies) are working overtime and spending lots of money to stop it from passing.
- Researchers found another bug in Tesla’s Model S key fobs that might have allowed hackers to break into cars. The electric carmaker has already pushed out an over-the-air software update to stave off the attack.
- Ah, the eternal question: You’re racing toward a wall. Should you brake hard, or swerve?
- Former Uber and Waymo self-driving car engineer and exec Anthony Levandowski was indicted for trade secret theft, more than a year after his former employers settled a lawsuit concerning similar charges.
- What happens next? It may come down to the definition of a “trade secret”.
- Who is this Levandowski guy anyway? Here’s your primer on how he became the Forrest Gump of the autonomous vehicle industry.
- Bell’s cargo drone has officially started flying itself.
- Our writer thinks you’ll love author Jonathan Marrs’ The Passengers, a new techno-thriller novel that takes a fantasy about automated vehicles to its logical conclusion: murder.
Future Train Car Interior of the Week
Amtrak’s high-speed Acela line—one of the oft-struggling national passenger railway’s more profitable lines—is currently undergoing a makeover. Sometime in 2021, 28 brand new trainsets will roll out on the service’s tracks, which run from Boston to Washington, DC. This week, Amtrak released a hint of what riding the new trains will feel like. Get excited for more spacious first class seats, a more stylish looking café car, and pretty roomy bathrooms.
Stat of the Week
73%
The share of pickup truck and SUV drivers who are interested in more fuel efficient cars, according to a new survey from Consumer Reports. That sentiment cut across party lines, the survey found, at a time when the Trump administration is pressuring automakers to go along with its plan to freeze fuel economy standards.
Required Reading
News from elsewhere on the internet
- Former competitor (and GM vice chair) Bob Lutz remembers legendary Volkswagen exec Ferdinand Piech, who died this week: “Looking at his cold, frozen smile was a reminder that threats and punishment were only a wave of the hand or a blink of an eye away.”
- 39-year-old racer and car fabricator Jessi Combs dies while trying to break her own land speed record. In May, we geeked out with her about engines, and talked about her remarkable career.
- From Pitchbook: The top investors in AV tech.
- How Uber got lost.
- Tesla launches its insurance product in California, which it says will offer better rates for its owners.
- Miami says all shared electric-scooters will be removed from its streets prior to Hurricane Dorian’s landfall.
- Google Maps gets more multi-modal.
- In a move that has upset some outdoor groups, the Interior Department will allow riders to take their e-bikes for spins in national parks.
In the Rearview
Essential stories from WIRED’s canon
In 2015, we looked back at Ferdinand Piech’s wild career at VW.
WIRED Theme Week: How We Learn
- This galactic primer is the future of AR education
- Become a musician using apps and a light-up piano
- Free coding school! (But you’ll pay for it later)
- Computer scientists really need to take ethics classes
- Ask the Know-It-Alls: How do machines learn
- 👁 Facial recognition is suddenly everywhere. Should you worry? Plus, read the latest news on artificial intelligence
- 💻 Upgrade your work game with our Gear team’s favorite laptops, keyboards, typing alternatives, and noise-canceling headphones
