Linwei Ding, also known as Leon Ding, has been charged with four counts of theft for allegedly stealing trade secrets related to Google’s artificial intelligence technology. Ding, a software engineer hired by Google in 2019, had access to confidential information regarding supercomputing data centers. Over the course of a year, from May 2022 to May 2023, Ding allegedly uploaded 500 unique files to his personal Google Cloud account.
The indictment accuses Ding of scheming to share cutting-edge AI technology with Chinese competitors while employed at Google. To conceal his actions, Ding copied data from Google source files onto his Google-issued MacBook laptop, transferring it to the Apple Notes application. Subsequently, the data was converted into PDF files and uploaded from Ding’s account to evade immediate detection.
Ding’s actions, if proven guilty, could result in severe penalties, including up to 10 years of imprisonment and a maximum fine of $1 million. The indictment claims that Ding violated his employment contract and a separate code of conduct that he signed upon joining Google. Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen emphasized the seriousness of Ding’s alleged offenses, stating that he aimed to siphon off advanced AI technology from Google for the benefit of Chinese competitors.
