<div id="readability-page-1"><div><div><p>Tesla <span>TSLA</span> has filed a federal lawsuit against former engineer <strong>Zhongjie &#34;Jay&#34; Li</strong>, alleging that he stole trade secrets tied to the company's ambitious Optimus humanoid robot program, and used them to launch a competing Silicon Valley startup, Bloomberg reports.</p><p>The lawsuit, filed June 11 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, claims Li downloaded proprietary data related to Optimus’s robotic hand systems just before leaving Tesla in September. According to the complaint, the files were stored on two personal smartphones.</p><p><strong>Don't Miss:</strong></p><ul> <li><strong>Maker of the $60,000 foldable home has 3 factory buildings, 600+ houses built, and big plans to solve housing — <strong>this is your last chance to become an investor for $0.80 per share.</strong></strong></li> <li><strong>Peter Thiel turned $1,700 into $5 billion—now accredited investors are eyeing this software company with similar breakout potential. Learn how you can <strong>invest with $1,000 at just $0.30/share.</strong></strong></li> </ul><p>Just days after his departure, Li incorporated <strong>Proception</strong>, a Palo Alto-based robotics startup now marketing humanoid robot hands that Tesla claims in the filing are strikingly similar to its Optimus designs. Tesla alleges the resemblance stems from stolen intellectual property rather than original engineering.</p><p>&#34;Defendants took a shortcut: theft,&#34; the company said in the lawsuit, accusing Li and Proception of bypassing &#34;the laborious process of development&#34; by leveraging sensitive material from Tesla's multibillion-dollar research effort.</p><div><p></p><h3>Pre-IPO Offer: Get A Piece Of A Nearly $5T Global Opportunity By Joining BOXABL As An Early Shareholder At Just $0.80/Share</h3><p></p><div><div><div><ul> <li><strong>Massive Demand &amp; Disruptive Potential</strong> – Boxabl has received interest for over 190,000 homes, positioning itself as a major disruptor in the housing market.</li> <li><strong>Revolutionary Manufacturing Approach</strong> – Inspired by Henry Ford’s assembly line, Boxabl’s foldable tiny homes are designed for high-efficiency production, making homeownership more accessible.</li> <li><strong>Affordable Investment Opportunity</strong> – With homes priced at $60,000, Boxabl is raising $1 billion to scale production, offering investors a chance to own a stake in its growth.</li> </ul> </div></div><div><p><span><img src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://cdnwp-s3.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/22181427/Paolo-and-Gali.jpg/query-YXV0bz13ZWJwJmRwcj0yJm9wdGltaXplPW1lZGl1bSZ3aWR0aD0yMzA?x-oss-process=image/auto-orient,1/interlace,1/resize,w_1440,h_1440/quality,q_95/format,jpg" width="460" height="306" original-src="https://imageproxy.pbkrs.com/https://cdnwp-s3.benzinga.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/22181427/Paolo-and-Gali.jpg/query-YXV0bz13ZWJwJmRwcj0yJm9wdGltaXplPW1lZGl1bSZ3aWR0aD0yMzA"/></span></p></div></div><div><div><p><span><b>Share Price: </b></span><span>$0.80 </span></p><p><span><b>Min. Investment: </b></span><span>$1,000 </span></p><p><span><b>Valuation: </b></span><span>$3.5B </span></p></div></div></div><h2>Tesla's Optimus Robot and What's at Stake in the Lawsuit</h2><p>Optimus is Tesla's long-term bet on integrating humanoid robots into both industrial and personal environments. According to CEO <strong>Elon Musk</strong>, the robot's hand is one of its most complex and valuable components, featuring highly advanced sensors and mechanical dexterity, Bloomberg says.</p><p>During Tesla's earnings call on Jan. 29, Musk said, &#34;Optimus will be overwhelmingly the value of the company,&#34; emphasizing the robot's pivotal role in Tesla's future roadmap. The company claims in the lawsuit that its investment in Optimus runs into the billions, and each step of progress requires extensive research, testing, and capital.</p><p><strong>Trending: Maximize saving for your retirement and cut down on taxes: <strong>Schedule your free call with a financial advisor to start your financial journey – no cost, no obligation</strong>.</strong></p><p>“Although Tesla does not disclose the precise year-over-year investments in Optimus, the research and development costs are in the billions of dollars. Such an ambitious project demands unparalleled expertise and substantial time and financial commitment to achieve even incremental progress,” the filing reads.</p><p>Tesla's filing includes an internal email from last August warning employees that company devices and accounts were monitored and that any mishandling of data would trigger investigations.</p><h2>Proception's Rapid Rise Now Faces Legal Scrutiny</h2><p>Li lists himself as the founder and CEO of Proception on LinkedIn, where he describes the company's mission as “tackling one of the most challenging and exciting humanoid projects of our time.”</p><p>The lawsuit, seeks both compensatory and exemplary damages, along with a permanent injunction barring Proception and its team from using any of Tesla's trade secrets. Tesla has also requested a jury trial.</p><p>Tesla's legal team characterized the alleged behavior as a calculated attempt to exploit corporate investments and engineering breakthroughs for personal commercial gain.</p><p>“Their conduct is not only unlawful trade misappropriation—it also constitutes a calculated effort to exploit Tesla's investments, insights, and intellectual property for their own commercial gain,” the filing says.</p><p>As Tesla expands its footprint beyond electric vehicles into robotics and AI, the outcome of this case may send a clear message about how tech giants will defend innovation in an era of increasing startup competition.</p><p><strong>Image: Shutterstock</strong></p></div></div></div>

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<p>Tesla has filed a federal lawsuit against former engineer Zhongjie "Jay" Li, alleging he stole trade secrets related to the company's Optimus humanoid robot program to launch a competing startup, Proception. The lawsuit claims Li downloaded proprietary data before leaving Tesla and that Proception's products closely resemble Tesla's designs. Tesla seeks damages and a permanent injunction against Proception, emphasizing the significant investment in the Optimus project and the importance of protecting its intellectual property.</p>

- Tesla has filed a federal lawsuit against former engineer Zhongjie "Jay" Li for allegedly stealing trade secrets related to its Optimus humanoid robot program to launch a competing startup.  
- The lawsuit claims Li downloaded proprietary data before leaving Tesla and incorporated Proception, which markets humanoid robot hands similar to Tesla's designs.  
- Tesla seeks damages and a permanent injunction against Proception, emphasizing the importance of protecting its substantial investments in research and development for the Optimus project.

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Tesla Sues Ex-Engineer's Startup Over Alleged Theft Of Billion-Dollar Robot Tech: 'Defendants Took A Shortcut: Theft,' Musk's Company Says