- Former Google engineer found guilty of AI technology theft
- Jury convicts on business secrets and economic espionage charges
- Documents allegedly intended to support China-based AI startup
- Long prison sentence possible after final sentencing
former Google engineer AI theft case: A federal court in the United States has found former engineer Linwei Ding guilty in a case related to stealing confidential technology linked to artificial intelligence. It is alleged that Ding stole hundreds of documents related to highly sensitive AI chips and systems of the company and used them with the intention of benefiting a China-based startup.
During the hearing held in San Francisco, a 12-member jury unanimously found Ding guilty on seven counts of business secret theft and seven counts of economic espionage. This verdict came after a criminal trial that lasted for more than two weeks in the federal court of the Northern District of California.
The court was told that Ding had been working at Google since 2019. During this period, he copied thousands of the company’s internal documents onto his personal devices. The investigation revealed that these files were first saved in mobile apps and later stored in PDF format on a personal computer. According to the prosecution, the purpose of this information was to set up a new AI startup in China.
After the verdict, Ding did not make any statement to the media. His lawyer said that they respect the court’s decision, but do not agree with it. Meanwhile, the prosecution described this as an important step toward protecting national security and intellectual property.
The Google management also welcomed the verdict. According to the company, this decision sends a strong message to anyone who tries to misuse technological confidentiality and trust.
The court also made it clear that Ding will not be taken into custody until sentencing. However, if a final sentence is given, he could face up to 10 years in prison for each count of business secret theft and up to 15 years for each count of economic espionage.
Utkarsh works as a Sub-Editor at 1Tak News. Technology and gadgets are his main beats, and he also tracks automobiles. A graduate of Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth, he began his journalism career in 2023 and has built experience across digital media platforms like 1Tak. Besides technology, he also has considerable experience covering national affairs, politics, research, and international news.
