Ding, who began working at Google in 2019, allegedly took measures to cover up his theft, such as converting files into PDFs to bypass security systems. He is also accused of traveling to China and participating in meetings for an AI startup, where he claimed to be the chief technology officer and owned 20% of the company stock. Ding faces up to 10 years in prison and $250,000 in fines per charge if convicted.
Key takeaways:
- A former Google engineer, Linwei Ding, has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly stealing trade secrets related to artificial intelligence for Chinese companies.
- Ding is accused of uploading over 500 confidential files containing sensitive Google information to his personal accounts between May 2022 and May 2023.
- The indictment alleges Ding covered up his theft by converting files into PDFs to bypass security systems and traveled to China to participate in meetings for an AI startup, claiming he was the chief technology officer and owned 20% of the company stock.
- If convicted, Ding faces up to 10 years in prison and $250,000 in fines per charge.