Tesla filed a lawsuit against Zhongjie “Jay” Li, a former engineer in its Optimus robotics program, accusing him of stealing proprietary trade secrets and leveraging them to establish a competing startup. In the lawsuit submitted this past Wednesday, Tesla claims Li improperly obtained confidential information related to its advanced robotic hand sensors, instrumental to the Optimus project.
According to Tesla’s allegations, Li, who had been employed at the company between August 2022 and September 2024, downloaded sensitive files onto two personal smartphones before his departure. Furthermore, the complaint outlines how Li reportedly used his workplace computer to conduct searches related to humanoid robotic hands, startup funding, and venture capital investment processes in the months prior to leaving Tesla.
The court filing highlights the rapid creation of Li’s new venture, Proception, which was officially incorporated less than one week after he left Tesla. Within five months of its formation, Proception publicly announced the successful development of advanced humanoid robotic hands, which Tesla contends closely resemble their proprietary designs.
Proception, a Y Combinator-backed robotics startup, describes itself as dedicated to revolutionizing human-robot interaction, explicitly touting its humanoid robotic hand technology as industry-leading and exceptionally advanced. Both Tesla and Proception were contacted for further comment.
Since its 2021 announcement, Tesla’s Optimus robotics project has experienced considerable challenges. The initial announcement promised a release alongside other new products by 2023, yet the robot remained stuck in development. In July 2024, CEO Elon Musk revised expectations, stating Optimus would hit the market in 2026. Shortly thereafter, at Tesla’s “We, Robot” event in October 2024, it was revealed that showcased Optimus machines were primarily operated by human controllers rather than autonomous systems.
