Tesla has initiated a lawsuit against Zhongjie 'Jay' Li, a former engineer from its Optimus humanoid robot program, for allegedly stealing trade secrets and subsequently founding a rival company, Proception Inc.

Li worked at Tesla from August 2022 until September 2024, where he specialized in advanced robotic hand sensors and managed sensitive technical data.

Within just five months of its establishment, Proception claimed to have developed advanced humanoid robotic hands that closely resemble the designs Li was involved with at Tesla.

Based in Palo Alto, California, where Tesla's lab is also located, Proception is targeting a market deployment of humanoid robots by 2028.

Tesla's legal team has stressed the complexity and significant investment involved in developing advanced robotic hands, noting that R&D costs for the Optimus project are in the billions.

Musk has emphasized the critical role of autonomous robots in Tesla's future, asserting that Optimus could become the company's most valuable asset.

Proception, which is backed by Y Combinator, aims to innovate human-robot interaction through its advanced technology.

Since its announcement in 2021, Tesla's Optimus program has encountered significant delays, with the latest projections indicating a release in 2026.

This lawsuit underscores the intensifying competition in the humanoid robot sector, with various companies, including Figure AI, racing to develop general-purpose robots.

Tesla has a history of legal action against former employees for data theft, having settled at least three cases since 2020.

The lawsuit references an email from August 2024 that warned employees about monitoring IT systems and the repercussions of mishandling company data, suggesting Li was aware of Tesla's policies.

Elon Musk has ambitious plans for the Optimus robots, predicting the production of one million units annually within five years and thousands of units operational in Tesla factories by the end of 2025.