Way Mo' Trouble For Uber > Huh?

Per usual capitalistic tendencies when a new tech break-through happens - this one "autonomous self-driving cars" - there's a tug-of-war about who controls the market for profits. . . Google's way or the highway?
Here in Arizona you can see who likes what company most:
On the left Ducey test "drives" Waymo's self-driving car in Chandler - Phoenix Business Journal
That question is now playing out in courts according to a report today in - what else? - a publication called Fortune and that's what's riding in the battle between two giants at a showdown in  San Francisco today.
Uber Is Facing the Possible Shutdown of Its Self-Driving Car Program
Source:Reuters via Fortune
Uber Technologies goes before a U.S. judge on Wednesday to fight for the right to continue work on its self-driving car program, the latest phase in a courtroom battle over trade secrets that threatens to topple a central pillar of Uber's growth strategy.
The ride-services company is contesting a lawsuit by Alphabet Inc's self-driving car unit, Waymo, which accused former Waymo engineer and current Uber executive Anthony Levandowski of taking technical secrets from Waymo and using them to help Uber's self-driving car development. . .
At issue on Wednesday is Waymo's demand that U.S. District Court Judge William Alsup in San Francisco issue an injunction barring Uber from using any of the technology that Waymo said was stolen. If Alsup issues a broadly worded order against Uber, it could all but shut down Uber's self-driving car program while court proceedings continue.
Uber Chief Executive Officer Travis Kalanick has said that autonomous vehicles, though still in their infancy, are critical to the company's long-term success and future growth.
Indeed, autonomous cars promise to change the economics of the ride-hailing business. . . Uber's ability to expand into suburban and rural markets, and areas with low vehicle ownership, and continue to offer a ride within three minutes, largely hinges on the availability of a network of self-driving vehicles. . .
The company, though still growing strongly, is losing hundreds of millions of dollars a quarter, according to information the company released last month.
Uber has self-driving tests underway in Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and Arizona, , [Blogger note: the fourth state for its self-driving pilots after California, Texas, and Washington.

EVP Prez John Lewis

Arizona doesn't regulate self-driving vehicles as closely as other states like California. As such, Waymo isn't required to obtain a license or submit any ... [read more about this on The Verge

Waymo’s self-driving minivans are now offering rides to real people in Arizona

0 New,   Major milestone for the Google spin-off

by Andrew J. Hawkins@andyjayhawk Apr 25, 2017, 3:01am EDT

Mesa Mayor John Giles

 . . industry watchers say that Uber, which has deep pockets and other value propositions such as huge swaths of traffic and rider data, could ride out a negative ruling in the Waymo case.