Daily news highlights from the tech world bring serious news from Tesla. The famous electric car and tech company has filed a lawsuit against one of its former engineers. The engineer is accused of stealing trade secrets from Tesla’s humanoid robot program called Optimus. Tesla says the stolen secrets were used to start a competing robot startup.
What Tesla Is Claiming
According to the lawsuit, which was filed on Wednesday and first reported by Bloomberg, Tesla is suing Zhongjie “Jay” Li, a former employee. Tesla says Li illegally took important information about its work on advanced robotic hand sensors. These sensors are part of the company’s Optimus robot project, which is developing humanoid robots that can move and use their hands like humans.
Li worked at Tesla from August 2022 to September 2024. The company says he downloaded secret company information onto two of his own smartphones. He is also accused of using Tesla computers to search for venture capital and other ways to fund his own company before quitting.
New Startup Proception Raises Eyebrows
Tesla says that just six days after Li left the company, he started a new business called Proception. This startup, which is supported by the well-known Y Combinator program, claims to have built robotic hands that look very similar to the ones being made at Tesla.
The lawsuit claims:
- Li began researching robotic hand designs while still working at Tesla.
- He looked up ways to get startup money before leaving the company.
- His new startup, Proception, said it successfully built robotic hands within five months of starting.
- The hands look almost exactly like Tesla’s own robotic hand models.
Proception’s website says the company wants to “revolutionize human-robot interaction” by creating the world’s most advanced robotic hands.
Tesla’s Optimus Robot Program
Tesla’s robot project, Optimus, has had some ups and downs since it was first shown to the public in 2021. At the time, Elon Musk said Tesla would introduce the robot in 2023, but that didn’t happen.
In July 2024, Musk said the robot could be ready for sale by 2026. However, when Tesla held its “We, Robot” event in October 2024, the robot still wasn’t ready. In fact, the robots shown at the event were being controlled by people working remotely.
This delay may have made Tesla even more concerned about its trade secrets being stolen.
Legal Action and What’s Next
As part of this breaking news, Tesla is now asking the court to stop Proception from using any of the stolen information. Tesla wants to protect its robotics research and prevent any other company from copying its designs.
The company has not yet shared how much money it is asking for in damages, but it clearly believes the stolen information gave Proception an unfair advantage.
TechCrunch reached out to both Tesla and Proception for more information, but they have not made public statements yet.
Tesla Sues Engineer Over Robot Tech
- Tesla sues ex-engineer Jay Li for stealing robot design secrets.
- Li is accused of using Tesla’s research to launch Proception, a rival robot company.
- Proception claims to have made robotic hands that look like Tesla’s designs.
- Tesla’s Optimus robot program is still in development and not yet for sale.
- The case highlights the importance of intellectual property protection in tech.
This situation is still developing. Stay tuned for more breaking news and daily news highlights on Tesla, robotics, and legal battles in the tech world.
