Google versus Uber Part Two

TechGazette – Mzansi Urban Podcasts

The court date for the trial between Waymo and Uber is now set for 2 October 2017. So much has happened since our last coverage of the story. We are once again joined by Leon Kaye, a business writer, and strategic communications specialist based in Fresno, California, to get an update, as we try to dissect the story further.

In this episode, we start by recapping on the status of the Waymo versus Uber case and get an update of what transpired since Episode four, when we last spoke to Mr. Kaye.

We then take a quick detour and discuss two American legal instruments, i.e. jury trial, and deposition. We enquire if it’s possible to get a technically competent jury of your peers, in a highly technical case such as the one between Waymo and Uber. One other US legal instrument I thought of getting some understanding on was the idea of deposition. Seeing that Uber has managed to depose Alphabet’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Larry Page, who is without a doubt one of the most influential people in the world today. What does deposing him mean and what bearing will this deposition have on Alphabet and its stock?

The trial is set to begin in October 2017, is it going to be a big media frenzy and spectacle, that has all of us glued to news feeds and timelines?

At the end of the conversation, we speak, about the future of Uber and its culture, beyond its former CEO, Travis Kalanick? We further discuss the sustainability of ride sharing businesses, and their current business model and pricing structure. I then pose a purely speculative question about the potential of Amazon acquiring Uber, since the company(Amazon) is now on a growth trajectory.

Thanks to Leon Kaye for always sharing his valuable insights and thoughts with us.