Insider Transportation: How Uber nearly swiped Google’s self-driving crown

Insider Transportation: How Uber nearly swiped Google’s self-driving crown

Anthony Levandowski (far right) and Chris Urmson (far left) helped create the self-driving industry as it exists today. Their rivalry nearly destroyed it.







Courtesy of David Goldwater













More than three years ago, I decided my day job wasn't enough for me, admitted my social life wasn't much of a sacrifice, and began writing a book about the rise of the self-driving car. Getting my arms around the story required interviewing more than 120 people, sifting through thousands of legal, governmental, and military documents, and making multiple trips to Silicon Valley, Detroit, and Pittsburgh. Really, I had a blast.

This week, I finally published "Driven: The Race to Create the Autonomous Car," my chronicle of how a small band of engineers went from crashing robots in military-focused desert races, to launching Google's ambitious self-driving research project, to sparking a full-fledged industry. 

If you're looking for a taste of the story, check out the feature I wrote for Insider, which zeroes in on the destructive rivalry between Google engineers Anthony Levandowski and Chris Urmson. They fought for power, for the direction their team and technology