A Canadian citizen, who was accused of using Tesla technology to launch a company in China, has been released on bail in the United States.
According to court documents, the accused, 47-year-old Xianfeng Zuo, was arrested in December 2020 and charged with conspiracy to commit trade secret theft and wire fraud. He was accused of stealing trade secrets from Tesla and using them to start a company in China called “Xiaopeng Motors.”
Zuo, who holds a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of British Columbia, was released on a $250,000 bond on Monday after a hearing in San Jose, California. He has been ordered to surrender his passport and wear an electronic monitoring device while awaiting trial.
The allegations against Zuo state that he worked for Tesla from 2013 to 2018 and had access to highly confidential information about the company’s Autopilot technology. It is alleged that he downloaded thousands of files related to the technology before leaving the company and used them to start his own company in China.
The court documents also state that Zuo’s company, Xiaopeng Motors, received significant funding from Chinese investors and has been developing electric vehicles with similar features to Tesla’s Autopilot system.
Zuo’s lawyer, Daniel Olmos, argued that his client did not steal any trade secrets and that the information he took from Tesla was not confidential. Olmos also stated that Zuo had no intention of using the information for his own gain and that he had returned all the files to Tesla.
The judge granted Zuo bail on the condition that he does not have any contact with Tesla employees or access any of the company’s confidential information. Zuo is also not allowed to leave the United States without permission from the court.
The case against Zuo is ongoing, and he is scheduled to appear in court again on March 31. If convicted, he could face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for each count of trade secret theft and wire fraud.
This case highlights the ongoing issue of intellectual property theft and the challenges faced by companies in protecting their trade secrets. It also raises questions about the relationship between China and the United States in terms of technology and trade.
As the trial continues, it remains to be seen what evidence will be presented and what the outcome will be for Zuo and his company.
