The suit, also filed against his company Proception Inc, alleges that in the weeks before his departure, Li downloaded Optimus-related files onto two personal smartphones and then formed his own firm.
“Less than a week after he left Tesla, Proception was incorporated,” according to the complaint. “And within just five months, Proception publicly claimed to have ‘successfully built’ advanced humanoid robotic hands—-hands that bear a striking resemblance to the designs Li worked on at Tesla.”
Attorneys for Li or the company weren’t immediately visible in court filings.
Making a hand that is as dexterous as a human one is one of the biggest challenges in robotics. Tesla intends for Optimus to perform several tasks, from working in the electric automaker’s factories to handling every day tasks like grocery shopping and babysitting. On Tesla’s earnings call in January, CEO Elon Musk said that Optimus has the most sophisticated hand ever made.
“My prediction long-term is that Optimus will be overwhelmingly the value of the company,” Musk said.
An exhibit to the complaint includes an emailed reminder to the Optimus team from August 2024 telling staff that Tesla IT assets and networks are monitored and that “incidents of mishandling or suspected theft of Tesla property, including data and code, will be thoroughly investigated.”
Li’s “conduct is not only unlawful trade misappropriation — it also constitutes a calculated effort to exploit Tesla’s investments, insights, and intellectual property for their own commercial gain,” Tesla’s lawyers said in the filing.
