Overview

• Tesla’s June 12 complaint in San Francisco federal court alleges former engineer Zhongjie “Jay” Li downloaded confidential Optimus hand-sensor files onto two personal smartphones before his departure.
• Li, who worked on Tesla’s Optimus program from August 2022 to September 2024, founded Proception Inc. less than a week after leaving to develop humanoid robotic hands.
• Proception, a Y Combinator-backed startup, claims it built advanced humanoid hands within five months using designs Tesla says bear a striking resemblance to its own.
• The lawsuit seeks unspecified compensatory and exemplary damages, a permanent injunction barring Li and Proception from using Tesla’s trade secrets, and a jury trial.
• Last week, Optimus engineering head Milan Kovac left Tesla and Autopilot lead Ashok Elluswamy assumed responsibility for the humanoid robotics project.