Trump Pardons Former Uber Engineer Convicted of Stealing Waymo Trade Secrets
President Trump grants a full pardon to Anthony Levandowski, erasing his 18-month prison sentence for stealing self-driving car documents from Google. The controversial move draws support from tech leaders despite the judge calling it the biggest trade secret crime he had ever seen.
President Trump issues a full pardon to Anthony Levandowski, a former Google and Uber autonomous vehicle engineer, as one of his final acts in office. This pardon completely eliminates Levandowski's 18-month prison sentence for stealing trade secrets related to self-driving technology. The White House states that Levandowski pays a significant price for his actions and plans to devote his talents to advance the public good.
Levandowski admits to downloading a critical file from Google's Waymo division before leaving to found the autonomous trucking startup Otto, which Uber quickly acquires. Although he initially faces 33 counts that carry up to 10 years in prison each, he pleads guilty to a single count of stealing trade secrets in March 2020. Alongside his prison sentence, a judge orders him to pay $179 million to Google, a financial burden that forces him to file for bankruptcy.
The pardon sparks discussion due to the severe remarks made by the US District Judge during the original sentencing. The judge describes Levandowski as a brilliant engineer but calls the theft the biggest trade secret crime he has ever seen, warning that a lighter sentence gives a green light to future engineers to steal. Despite these harsh words, the White House notes that numerous leading technologists and investors support the pardon.