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Here’s how to use Kalanickspeak at your next jam sesh, bro

“So during this jam session, you discussed the fact that ‘laser is the sauce,’ correct?”

Cyrus Farivar – | 93
Former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick leaves the Phillip Burton Federal Building on day three of the trial between Waymo and Uber Technologies on February 7, 2018 in San Francisco, California. Credit: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
Former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick leaves the Phillip Burton Federal Building on day three of the trial between Waymo and Uber Technologies on February 7, 2018 in San Francisco, California. Credit: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

One of the highlights of this week's Waymo v. Uber trial was the "tech-bro" language that was thrown around, particularly by former Uber CEO Travis Kalanick.

Kalanick, who headed Uber from 2010 until mid-2017, certainly isn't the only example of a business-savvy dude at the helm of tech companies, but he might be the most famous. The Southern California native highlighted the disconnect between the stodgy, anodyne language preferred by lawyers and the actual way that many talk behind Silicon Valley's closed doors.

On the witness stand, Kalanick, dressed in a conservative black suit and tie, was professional. He answered clearly and directly, and even when he was questioned by somewhat friendly Uber lawyers, he refrained from using the type of lingo that he seems to prefer.

Back in 2014, in an interview with GQ, he non-ironically said the words "hashtag winning." In January 2017, after declining to serve on President Donald Trump's business council, Kalanick described Trump's negative reaction as "super un-pumped." But few outsiders, perhaps beyond a handful of reporters that have covered him closely for years, know the full extent of Kalanick's vernacular. Sometimes, Kalanick didn't even know (or at least wasn't willing to fully explain) his own jargon.

Now, thanks to the magic of civil discovery and a high-profile lawsuit, we have a little more insight into Kalanickspeak. Here are our four favorites from the trial:

“Laser is the sauce”

During opening statements, Waymo lawyers used Kalanick's own words against him as a way to illustrate how critical Kalanick believed that ex-Waymo engineer Anthony Levandowski's knowledge about LiDAR was. Plus, as Waymo argued, Levandowski spirited away trade secrets—effectively the "secret sauce" to Waymo's success.

According to notes of a January 3, 2016 meeting between Levandowski, Kalanick, and other Uber officials, "laser is the sauce"—there was "no clear substitute" besides LiDAR (and allegedly, Waymo's trade secrets) to advance Uber's autonomous research.

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"Laser is the sauce" quickly became a line that reporters covering the trial relished. Business Insider's Rob Price mocked up a t-shirt with the quip on it.

Credit: Rob Price
Credit: Rob Price
The Verge's Sarah Jeong even immediately changed her Twitter profile name to the entire phrase.

At one point on Tuesday, while on the stand, Kalanick had this amazing exchange with Charles Verhoeven, Waymo's top lawyer.

"And then under Item 3 on the board, read what it says," Verhoeven said.

Credit: Sarah Jeong
"'Laser is the sauce,'" Kalanick responded.

"So, during this jam session, you discussed the fact that 'laser is the sauce;' correct?"

"Yes. I think it was probably a description of our sesh, yes."

"And what that meant is that lasers are the sauce to make autonomous vehicles work, right?"

"It's close. I would say it's an important part of making autonomous work. It doesn't work without it."

“Jam sesh”

Moments earlier, still under questioning by Verhoeven, Kalanick was asked to explain what was meant by a "jam session."

"So it's like a kind of a reference to, like, if you had a jazz ensemble, they, sort of, ­­they have ideas. They start somewhere. It's ad hoc, but eventually it sort of comes together into beautiful music. So a 'jam sesh' is when you get a bunch of interesting creative people in a room, and they're talking about an idea, and it eventually becomes something interesting and innovative."

This, too, drew online snickers from the peanut gallery and was still was getting callbacks days later.

Ross Todd of The Recorder, a San Francisco newspaper that covers legal issues, wrote:

Kalanick's Twitter history shows that this is a term that he loves:

“Burn the village”

The following day, Wednesday, Kalanick was questioned about a rather violent metaphor that was part of a text exchange between himself and Levandowski, dated March 1, 2016. In front of Kalanick was a binder with printed copies of the trial exhibits, including various text messages that Waymo presented as evidence.

"This is a text from yourself to Mr. Levandowski, correct?" Verhoeven asked.

"Appears to be so," Kalanick responded.

"You sent it on March 1, 2016, right?"

"Looks like it, yes."

"And you texted to him, quote, 'Burn the village.' Do you see that?"

"I do, yes."

"What did you mean by 'Burn the village'?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure what it's referring to."

"Well, you wrote it. What did you mean?"

"It was two years ago, and it was a one-­line text. I just don't remember."

"You don't have any idea what it means?"

"No."

"Well, Mr. Levandowski knew what it meant, though, didn't he?"

"I don't know."

"Well, turn to the next page."

"OK."

"Do you see he texted back to you on March 1st, 2016, same day?"

"OK."

"Right?

"Yep."

"And he said, 'Yup.' Sounds like he knew what you meant?"

"It does, yeah."

"You have no idea what you're talking about?"

"No idea."

“Pound of flesh”

As anyone who is even passingly familiar with Shakespeare knows, "pound of flesh" is a notable line spoken by Shylock, the Jewish moneylender, from The Merchant of Venice. Shylock demands collateral of a "pound of flesh" if the loan is not repaid, and, in modern English, the expression has come to mean an onerous price to pay.

Again, Waymo brought up this line during opening arguments. According to notes taken at a December 22, 2015 meeting during which Kalanick spoke, the then-CEO was noted to have demanded a "pound of flesh" as part of the "Newco deal"—what evolved into the eventual acquisition of Levandowski and Ottomotto.

During his Tuesday questioning, Kalanick was asked about his use of this phrase.

"Did you tell the group that what you wanted was a pound of flesh?" Verhoeven asked.

"I mean, I don't know specifically. It's a term I use from time to time, but I don't know," Kalanick said.

"Do you deny that you said it?"

"No."

It wasn't clear exactly how Kalanick meant "pound of flesh," but it may have meant that what he wanted was a significant leg up on Waymo.

In any case, Kalanick is unlikely to be back on the witness stand any time soon. Still, we'd be pumped to have a fun hang sesh with him.

Listing image: Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

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Cyrus Farivar Editor at Large
Cyrus is a former Senior Tech Policy Reporter at Ars Technica, and is also a radio producer and author. His latest book, Habeas Data, about the legal cases over the last 50 years that have had an outsized impact on surveillance and privacy law in America, is out now from Melville House. He is based in Oakland, California.
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