Uber faces costly choices after expert finds it uses Waymo self-driving tech

Waymo began as a project within sister company Google a decade ago, while Uber launched its effort four years ago. — Sipa USA/TNS

SAN FRANCISCO: Uber said it "will likely" have to strike a licensing deal with Waymo or opt for costly changes to its autonomous driving software, after an expert found the ride-hailing giant still used technology from the Alphabet Inc unit.

While it was unclear by when the company needed to decide on its next move in the blockbuster trade secrets dispute, Uber, in a quarterly securities filing on Nov 5, said that a detour in its software development "could limit or delay our production of autonomous vehicle technologies".