Tesla sues former Optimus engineer over alleged trade secret theft

Core Viewpoint - Tesla has filed a lawsuit against a former engineer for allegedly stealing trade secrets related to its humanoid robotics program, Optimus, to establish a competing startup, Proception [1][2]. Group 1: Lawsuit Details - The lawsuit accuses Zhongjie "Jay" Li of downloading confidential information about Tesla's advanced robotic hand sensors onto two personal smartphones during his employment from August 2022 to September 2024 [2]. - Li reportedly conducted research on humanoid robotic hands and startup funding sources on his workplace computer in the final months of his tenure at Tesla [2]. Group 2: Proception's Development - Proception was incorporated less than a week after Li left Tesla, and within five months, it claimed to have successfully built advanced humanoid robotic hands that closely resemble the designs Li worked on at Tesla [3]. - Proception aims to revolutionize human-robot interaction by developing the world's most advanced humanoid hands, as stated on its website [3]. Group 3: Tesla's Robotics Program Status - Tesla's Optimus robotics program has faced challenges since its announcement in 2021, with delays in product introduction initially expected in 2023 [6]. - Elon Musk indicated in July 2024 that Tesla plans to start selling the robot in 2026, with demonstrations showing that the Optimus bots were primarily controlled by humans during a recent event [7].