Former Google Engineer Convicted of Economic Espionage
Linwei Ding, a 38-year-old former software engineer for Alphabet Inc. and Google, has been adjudged guilty on seven counts each of economic espionage and theft of trade secrets for illicitly appropriating over 2,000 pages of confidential documentation.
- The stolen information primarily pertains to intricate hardware and software specifications associated with AI supercomputing infrastructure, encompassing custom chips, networking systems, and software platforms.
- Ding’s affiliations included two Chinese technology firms as well as government-sponsored talent initiatives and organizations.
- This case represents the inaugural conviction under U.S. law for AI-linked economic espionage, according to the Department of Justice.
On Thursday, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that a federal jury in San Francisco found Ding guilty of pilfering vital AI trade secrets from his former employer, benefitting China in the process.
Following an 11-day trial, Ding was convicted on multiple counts of economic espionage and theft of trade secrets. Assistant Attorney General for National Security, John A.
Eisenberg remarked, “This conviction reveals a systematic betrayal of trust involving some of the most sophisticated AI technology globally at a pivotal time for AI development.”
Eisenberg further insisted that Ding exploited his privileged access to purloin AI trade secrets while advancing ventures aligned with the People’s Republic of China.
His duplicity endangered U.S. technological supremacy and competitiveness. The trial team and investigators deserve commendation for their outstanding efforts leading to this outcome.
Roman Rozhavsky, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Counterintelligence and Espionage Division, underscored the significance of this conviction, marking it as a precedent in AI-related economic espionage cases.
“We remain steadfast in our commitment to closely collaborate with private sector partners to safeguard our nation’s innovations, protect our trade secrets, and hold international adversaries to account,” Rozhavsky stated.
Details of the Charges
Evidence presented between May 2022 and April 2023 highlighted that Ding appropriated over 2,000 pages of proprietary Google information during his tenure, focusing on the technical nuances of AI supercomputing infrastructure.
The indictment also revealed Ding’s association with two Chinese tech start-ups: one where he was negotiating to assume the role of Chief Technology Officer, and another that he was in the process of establishing.
In communications with potential investors, Ding asserted that he could engineer an AI supercomputer by replicating and modifying Google’s technology. Furthermore, just under two weeks before his resignation, Ding downloaded stolen trade secrets onto his personal device.
Additional evidence linked him to government-endorsed talent programs in China.
Ding could face sentences of up to 15 years for each count of espionage and 10 years for each count of trade secret theft, with sentencing proceedings forthcoming.
Market Reactions from Stocktwits Users
On Stocktwits, sentiments among retail investors concerning GOOGLE shares have gravitated toward a ‘bearish’ outlook over the past 24 hours, amidst what has been characterized as ‘normal’ message activity.
Notably, GOOGLE shares have appreciated by over 68% in the preceding year. The technology behemoth is anticipated to release its fourth-quarter (Q4) 2025 results in the upcoming week, specifically on February 4.
Source link: Stocktwits.com.
