Elon Musk's Tesla Files Lawsuit Alleging Ex-Employee Stole Humanoid Tech To Launch Rival

Accusing a former employee of stealing confidential materials related to Optimus and launching a rival startup, Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) has filed a lawsuit in federal court.

What Happened: Zhongjie "Jay" Li, who was part of the team working on Tesla's robotic hand sensors from August 2022 to September 2024, allegedly downloaded sensitive files just before resigning from his position, Fortune reports. Filed on Wednesday in San Francisco, the lawsuit claims that within a week of his departure, Li incorporated a new company, Proception Inc., which is now based in Palo Alto.

Within five months, Proception reportedly showcased humanoid hands similar to Tesla's own designs. The lawsuit also names Proception as a defendant and accuses both parties of misappropriating trade secrets.

See Also: Elon Musk Net Worth Down $64 Billion In 2025 — But Tesla CEO Still Richer Than Value Of Ford, General Motors, Stellantis, Toyota Combined

Why It Matters: CEO Elon Musk has described the company’s robotic hand as "the most sophisticated ever made," and projected that Optimus could become the company's most valuable product in the long run.

Last month, Musk shared his belief that humanoid robots will start impacting countries' GDPs in “4-5 years.” Musk has also asserted that Optimus can learn tasks simply by watching YouTube videos, much like humans can.

Nvidia Corp. (NASDAQ:NVDA) CEO Jensen Huang has suggested that Optimus might be the first humanoid robot to reach both mass production and advanced technical capability. “I think this is likely to be the next multi-trillion-dollar industry,” he said.

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