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Tesla Sues Ex-Engineer Over Theft of Optimus Robot Secrets
Tesla sued former engineer Zhongjie "Jay" Li on Wednesday in San Francisco, accusing him of stealing trade secrets to start a rival robotics company.
From August 2022 until September 2024, Li was involved in developing Tesla's advanced robotic hand sensor technology before leaving the company and founding Proception Inc. within a week.
Proception, based in Palo Alto, claims to have developed humanoid robotic hands resembling Tesla’s designs just five months after Li left the company.
Tesla alleges Li downloaded sensitive Optimus files onto two smartphones before leaving and describes his actions as a calculated effort to exploit Tesla’s intellectual property.
The lawsuit seeks damages and an injunction against Li and Proception, reflecting Tesla CEO Musk’s view that Optimus will become the company’s most valuable product.