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Steve Kovach   Chris Urmson, Google's former head of self-driving cars.Reuters/Stephen Lam GOOG Alphabet-C  819.24 5.57 (+0.70 %) Disclaimer Get real-time GOOG charts here » Google's parent company, Alphabet, lost some of its leading self-driving-car experts because they were offered large payouts based on the valuation of the company's self-driving-car division,  according to a new Bloomberg report . The large payouts gave the employees little incentive to stay at the company, and some left to begin their own self-driving-car startups and initiatives. Essentially, the staff members were paid so much that they quit, the Bloomberg report says. To be clear, it's likely the large payouts weren't the only factor that caused the employees to quit, but it appears to be a significant reason. A spokesperson for Waymo, the self-driving-car company that launched under Alphabet, declined to comment on the report. It's unclear how much the payouts were or who rec...

Uber Technologies Inc Chief Executive Officer Travis Kalanick quit President Donald Trump's business advisory group on Thursday amid mounting pressure from activists and employees who oppose the administration's immigration policies. Critics included Uber drivers, many of whom are immigrants themselves. "Joining the group was not meant to be an endorsement of the president or his agenda but unfortunately it has been misinterpreted to be exactly that," Kalanick, who had planned to attend a meeting of the group on Friday, said in an email to staff that was seen by Reuters. Uber spokeswoman Chelsea Kohler later confirmed that he had left the group. Social media campaigns had targeted Uber, urging users to delete accounts and opt for rival Lyft Inc. Uber has been emailing users who deleted their accounts to say it shares their concerns and will compensate drivers affected by the ban. Kalanick said he spoke briefly to Trump about the immigration order "and its is...