Anthony Levandowski Net Worth: In 2023, it is expected that his net worth will be $120 million. He is a businessman and engineer who is known for his work on cars that drive themselves.
In this article, we’ll look at how much money Levandowski has and how he got it.
Early Years
Anthony Levandowski was born in the city of Brussels, Belgium, on March 15, 1980. Even when he was young, he was interested in technology and robots. He attended Berkeley’s University of California, where he got his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research.
Career
Levandowski was a smart freshman who started an intranet service from his basement. IEEE Spectrum says that in 2004, he worked with other UC Berkeley engineers to build a motorcycle that could drive itself and enter the DARPA Grand Challenge. The motorcycle that was used in the film “Ghostrider” can now be found on display at the National Museum of American History, which is located within the Smithsonian Institution.
Levandowski moved to Silicon Valley after he graduated from college. He worked for companies like Google and 3com. During his time at Google, he worked on Street View, Google Maps, and a project called Waymo, which was about cars that don’t need drivers. Levandowski has made a big difference in the world of technology, which has brought him money and fame.
Anthony Levandowski Net Worth in 2023
Anthony has done the best he can with the money he has made as a tech worker. Levandowski was a co-founder of Otto, a company that made self-driving trucks. When the company was sold, he made a lot of money. Uber paid $680 million for the company, which added to Levandowski’s wealth.
Why did Anthony Left Google?
In 2016, Levandowski left Google and started his own company, Otto. His leaving Google was, of course, not without some trouble. CNBC said that it was said that he stole Google’s intellectual property.
So, it’s clear that what he did and how long he worked at Google added to his net worth. Google paid Levandowski $120 million for his work on self-driving cars, according to reports.
Levandowski’s Involvement in Otto and Uber
In 2016, Uber bought Otto, which was Levandowski’s company that made self-driving trucks. He was the President of Otto and one of its founders. But when Uber bought the company, it caused a lot of trouble because Levandowski was accused of stealing trade secrets from Google.
During Levandowski’s time at Google, he was put in charge of the company’s project for self-driving cars. So, it’s not surprising that he was in the middle of this scandal. Business Insider says that in the end, Uber had to settle the case, and it wasn’t for a small amount of money. Uber had to give up its ownership of Otto as well. Still, all this drama has had an effect on Levandowski’s net worth.
Levandowski’s Legal Troubles
Since he started his career, Anthony Levandowski has had a history of legal issues. In August 2020, he was charged with 33 counts of theft, according to the New York Times. After Levandowski moved from Google to Uber, he was also charged with trying to steal.
The U.S. Department of Justice says that he downloaded a lot of secret files about Google’s project to make cars that drive themselves. It is said that he used the files to help Uber launch a car that drives itself.
Waymo and Uber fought for a long time over this accusation, and in the end, they reached a settlement for $179 million. But when legal fees were added, the amount jumped to $245 million, which is a huge difference.
After the settlement, Levandowski filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to negotiate his debts. He said he had assets worth between $50 million and $100 million and debts worth between $100 million and $500 million.
After making a deal with the U.S. government in 2021, Levandowski admitted that he had stolen trade secrets from Google. As part of the deal, the other charges had to be dropped. He got 18 months in prison and had to pay Alphabet $756,499.22. He also had to pay a $95,000 fine.
On Levandowski’s last day in office, President Trump granted amnesty to Levandowski and 72 other convicts. In fact, Verge says that Levandowski had not even started serving his sentence when he was given a free pass. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, his sentencing had to be put off.
Personal Life
Levandowski’s personal life has had a lot of problems, just like his work life. During the legal battle over Google, it is said that Levandowski was found to have had an affair with a coworker. The affair led to a scandal at Google, which may have been one reason why he left the company.
Levandowski is married and has two kids at the moment. The couple lives in California, but the public doesn’t know much about their personal life.
Levandowski’s Other Businesses
Levandowski started several companies while he was at Google and after he left. Way of the Future (WOTF) Ventures is one of them. It is more of a religion than a business that makes money. The religious group, which TechCrunch says has shut down, was based on a gospel about artificial intelligence. That isn’t surprising since his whole career has been about technology.
Anthony Levandowski’s AI Worship Church Controversy
The Church’s Goal – To Create an “AI Godhead”
The church’s goal was to create an “AI Godhead,” which is controversial because science and religion don’t always agree. WoTF Ventures was made to develop and push for an AI Godhead and to help make the world a better place by worshipping and understanding the Godhead.
Connecting with the AI Industry
The religion also tried to find and connect with people in charge of the AI industry. Levandowski wanted to make a membership community for AI experts and anyone else who wanted to worship an AI Godhead.
The Church Closes its Doors
The church had to close for good at the end of 2020, but the process had already begun in June. In the neighborhood, $175,172 was donated by the church to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
Levandowski says that he had been thinking about closing the church before he gave the money.
Donating to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund
Levandowski gave the money to the NAACP because he was influenced by the Black Lives Matter movement, which was growing at the time after George Floyd’s death. He said that it made sense to put the money into something that could help people right away.
Controversy Surrounding the Church
Just like Levandowski, the church made people angry and interested. It wasn’t just because of what the church stood for; it was also because of when it began. He started the group because he was having a big fight with Google, where he used to work.
He was also the most important person in the case between Waymo and Uber. People thought he might have been hiding something in the church. But now that the church is closed, we may never know.
