Technology
For Once, Uber Needs Travis Kalanick to Speak Up
As its trial with Waymo begins, Uber is banking on a commanding performance from its ousted CEO.
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Uber Technologies Inc. has spent much of the past year confronting and atoning for business practices adopted when co-founder Travis Kalanick ran the place. As Waymo’s $1.9 billion trade-secrets lawsuit against Uber goes to trial on Feb. 5, the company’s new leaders will have to turn to Kalanick as a star witness.
Kalanick has maintained a board seat—and a strained relationship with Uber’s new chief executive officer, Dara Khosrowshahi—since he was forced out as CEO last year. Khosrowshahi has been trying to move the company beyond Kalanick’s long shadow, but that’ll be tougher while Uber fights to deny claims by Waymo, the driverless-car unit of Google parent Alphabet Inc., that it stole Waymo’s technology.