---
title: "Otto Co-Founder Lior Ron Returns to Uber to Run Trucking Business"
description: "Lior Ron, co-founder of the autonomous-driving startup that triggered a massive lawsuit from Waymo, will return to Uber."
date: "2018-08-08"
modified: "2019-05-25"
authors:
  - name: "Stephen Edelstein"
    job_title: "Weekend Editor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/stephen-edelstein"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/22718/otto-co-founder-lior-ron-returns-to-uber-to-run-trucking-business"
categories:
  - "Car Tech"
  - "News"
  - "Trucks"
tags:
  - "otto"
  - "Tech"
  - "Trucking"
  - "Uber"
  - "uber freight"
---

# Otto Co-Founder Lior Ron Returns to Uber to Run Trucking Business

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/images-by-url-td/content/2018/02/gettyimages-591360567-e1519144628805.jpg>)
*\<em\>www.thedrive.com</em>*

Lior Ron, co-founder of the autonomous-driving startup that triggered [a massive legal battle](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/18342/lyft-could-have-bought-the-startup-that-triggered-the-uber-waymo-trade-secrets-battle>) between Uber and Waymo, is back at Uber. He'll head the company's Uber Freight logistics business, which Uber is looking to expand.

Ron and co-founder [Anthony Levandowski](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/20519/after-settling-with-uber-waymo-targets-engineer-anthony-levandowski-for-trade-secrets>) created Otto after leaving Alphabet and sold the startup to Uber in August 2016. Levandowski was subsequently accused of stealing trade secrets from Alphabet's Waymo self-driving car unit and passing them on to Uber. He was fired for not cooperating with Uber's efforts to fight a lawsuit from Waymo. [Ron left Uber earlier this year](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/19738/otto-co-founder-lior-ron-leaves-uber-report-says>), a month after Uber [settled the case for $245 million](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/18373/uber-and-waymo-reach-settlement-in-self-driving-car-court-case>).

According to [*TechCrunch*](<https://techcrunch.com/2018/08/07/otto-co-founder-lior-ron-is-back-at-uber/>), Ron's return is contingent on Uber's purchase of Otto Trucking, a separate entity from the autonomous-driving division the company acquired in 2016. Uber Freight will then be spun off into a separate company, and Otto Trucking shareholders will get an equity stake in the new entity. Levandowski will reportedly sell his stake to an unnamed venture-capital firm.

Uber recently [shut down its self-driving truck program](<https://www.thedrive.com/tech/22514/uber-cans-self-driving-trucks-program>), the most visible product of the 2016 Otto deal. Ron will instead focus on conventional trucking, which Uber views as an important area of investment leading up a planned initial public offering next year, reports [*Reuters*](<https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-pentagon-cloud/oracle-corp-files-protest-over-pentagon-cloud-computing-contract-idUSKBN1KS2LJ>). The news service reports that Uber will double its investment in Freight over the next year.

Uber Freight currently operates as a [brokerage service](<https://www.founderscircle.com/its-personal>), connecting shipments with drivers willing to haul them anywhere in the continental United States. Drivers can schedule a load through an app, similar to how ride-hailing drivers schedule passengers. Uber claims the logistics division is doubling the number of shipments every quarter.

## Author
Stephen has always been passionate about cars, and managed to turn that passion into a career as a freelance automotive journalist. When he's not handling weekend coverage for The Drive, you can find him looking for a new book to read.

### Author social links  
[Twitter](<https://twitter.com/SAEdelstein>)