Tesla Sues Former Engineer for Alleged Theft of Robotics Secrets

Jun 13, 2025

Tesla has filed a lawsuit against a former engineer who worked with its Optimus humanoid robot team, accusing him of stealing confidential information to start a competing startup. According to reports, Tesla's filing in a San Francisco federal court claims that Jay Li, who was employed from August 2022 to September 2024, downloaded files related to the Optimus project using two personal cell phones. Within a week of his departure, Li founded a company named Proception.

Tesla alleges that the robotic arm product released by Proception shows "astonishing" similarities to its own technology. This legal move underscores the highly competitive nature of the robotics industry and the value placed on proprietary information.

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