The founder started a company called 510 systems which was sold to Google, and years later he left Google to create another company focused on self-driving trucks. They obviously have deep experience in the area, and Uber obviously wants that expertise.
EDIT: this would be a subcategory of the acquihire
(You know, just like that real estate developer is always scrupulously honest when negotiating for that last plot of land, they always say something like "This is the last piece I need to make my seven digit profit! How much did you say you wanted for it?", and would _never_ try to tell the owner of that plot "This is exactly the same house design that my alzheimer's affected mother has lived in all her life - it'd make her last few years _so_ much more comfortable. Would you accept $market_rate*0.8?"...)
The area being flipping companies to large corporate buyers?