Trump pardons former Google self-driving automobile engineer Anthony Levandowski

(Reuters) — U.S. President Donald Trump stated on Wednesday he experienced offered a comprehensive pardon to a previous Google engineer sentenced for stealing a trade magic formula on self-driving cars and trucks months before he briefly headed Uber’s rival device.

Anthony Levandowski, 40, was sentenced in August to 18 months in jail following pleading responsible in March. He was not in custody, but a choose experienced reported he could enter custody after the COVID-19 pandemic subsided.

The White Property claimed Levandowski experienced “paid a considerable value for his steps and strategies to dedicate his talents to advance the community great.”

Alphabet’s Waymo, a self-driving auto engineering device spun out of Google, declined to remark. The corporation earlier described Levandowski’s crime as “a betrayal” and his sentence “a gain for trade secret laws.”

The pardon was backed by several leaders in the technologies field who have supported Trump, including investors Peter Thiel and Blake Masters and entrepreneur Palmer Luckey, according to the White Household.

Levandowski transferred additional than 14,000 Google information, which include advancement schedules and product or service layouts, to his private notebook prior to he left, all when negotiating a new position with Uber.