Former Google software engineer convicted of AI espionage, trade

Former Google software engineer convicted of AI espionage, trade

A federal jury in San Francisco discovered a former Google software engineer responsible of espionage and theft of trade secrets and techniques in the first-ever espionage conviction associated to AI.

Following an 11-day trial, the jury on Thursday discovered Linwei Ding, also generally known as Leon Ding, responsible on seven counts of financial espionage and 7 counts of theft of trade secrets and techniques – including hundreds of pages of Google trade secrets and techniques that have been stolen to assist China.

“In today’s high-stakes race to dominate the field of artificial intelligence, Linwei Ding betrayed both the US and his employer by stealing trade secrets about Google’s AI technology on behalf of China’s government,” Roman Rozhavsky, assistant director of the FBI’s espionage unit, said in a Friday assertion.

A federal jury in San Francisco Thursday discovered a former Google software engineer responsible of espionage and theft of trade secrets and techniques. REUTERS

US tech companies have been in a fierce race to ship the most superior AI fashions – particularly after China’s DeepSeek shocked markets in January 2025 with the release of AI chips developed at just a fraction of the price of US rivals.

Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis just lately warned that China’s AI fashions may be just “a matter of months” behind American counterparts.

From May 2022 by means of April 2023, Ding, 38, stole more than two thousand pages of confidential company data containing Google’s AI secrets and techniques and uploaded them to his private Google Cloud account, the Justice Department said Friday.

Ding – who was indicted in March 2024 – also secretly affiliated himself with two Chinese tech companies while he was working at Google, according to the DOJ.

He was in talks to function a chief technology officer for a tech agency based in China, and in the course of of founding his personal China-based startup.

The jury discovered Leon Ding, 38, responsible on seven counts of financial espionage and 7 counts of theft of trade secrets and techniques. Linkedin

In a number of statements to potential traders, Ding claimed he may build an AI supercomputer utilizing the trade secrets and techniques he stole from Google, according to the Justice Department.

In December 2023, less than two weeks before he left the tech large, he downloaded the stolen paperwork onto his private pc, according to courtroom paperwork.

The stolen docs contained detailed data about Google’s Tensor Processing Unit chips and its custom-built SmartNIC, a network interface card – data that could possibly be used to coach large AI fashions, the DOJ said.

This case of espionage and theft concerned “some of the most advanced AI technology in the world at a critical moment in AI development,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John Eisenberg.

Ding faces a most sentence of 10 years in jail for each rely of theft and 15 years in jail for each rely of financial espionage. 

His legal professional Grant Fondo argued that the paperwork couldn’t have contained helpful trade secrets and techniques because Google didn’t do sufficient to guard the data.

“Google chose openness over security,” Fondo told the jury in closing arguments, according to Courthouse News Service. “They did not take reasonable measures.”

Navigate the fast-paced world of enterprise with us. At TheGossipBlogger.com/enterprise, we offer well timed and insightful coverage on all the things from market tendencies and startup success tales to monetary news, entrepreneurship suggestions, and global financial shifts.

Whether you are an aspiring entrepreneur, a small enterprise proprietor, or a seasoned govt, our content is designed to tell, empower, and inspire your next transfer in the enterprise world.

Our editorial team dives deep into real-world methods, company profiles, and knowledgeable analysis to deliver you articles that matter. We simplify advanced enterprise developments and highlight the innovations, challenges, and alternatives shaping industries today.

Make positive to bookmark our Business part and go to often — in a world that never stops transferring, staying informed is your greatest benefit.