Would be interesting if the Waymo lawyers did discovery on all the specifics, if there are any, of what Jacobs did as a consultant who was supposed to be investigating his own claims. If he did nothing, then I think that would be pretty good evidence it was really a bribe payed out over time.
Payments spread over 12 months with an employment contract look like salary.
Uber probably said "you're employed to stay at home and not have any valid work logins or email addresses"