The brutal opening exchanges in a decade-old damages case between failed Aussie transport start-up GoCatch and $US160 billion ($243 billion) US giant Uber had all the twisting plot points of a bingeable mini-series, capable of fascinating a global audience.

If the history of Silicon Valley is anything to go by, then Uber is one of the last companies you would want to get into a bare-knuckle fight with. Yet both combatants are still standing after round one, and will step back into the ring on Monday nursing busted lips and black eyes.