Linwei Ding, 38, a software engineer from Newark, California, was arrested for allegedly stealing trade secrets from Google’s AI program. Hired by Google in 2019 to work on their supercomputing software, Ding is accused of siphoning confidential information to aid two AI startups in China, one of which he founded.
Prosecutors claim Ding uploaded over 500 files of proprietary data, critical to Google’s AI training models, over a year. He purportedly took measures to conceal his actions, including disguising file transfers through the Apple Notes app. Ding’s activities came to light after he was investigated by Google for uploading sensitive files, which he claimed was for work documentation. Despite this, he planned his departure to Beijing, resigning via email after an unsuccessful attempt to mislead Google about his presence at work. Ding faces four counts of trade secret theft, with each count carrying a potential 10-year prison sentence.
