Joby Aviation Accuses Archer of Corporate Espionage in Recent Lawsuit
Electric air taxi firm, Joby Aviation, has brought a lawsuit against its competitor, Archer Aviation, alleging corporate espionage and theft of trade secrets. The lawsuit was filed in the California Superior Court on November 20, 2024.
The case revolves around ex-Joby employee, George Kivork. Joby alleges that Kivork downloaded confidential files two days prior to his departure from his role as head of U.S. state and local policy to join Archer. The files, as per the complaint, held sensitive details about Joby’s aircraft specifications, partnership terms, and strategic business plans.
Joby asserts that Archer utilized this proprietary information to sabotage a real estate partnership deal, leading to the developer terminating their agreement with Joby due to confidentiality breaches. “This is corporate espionage, planned and premeditated,” Joby’s complaint stated.
Archer, on the other hand, has vehemently denied these allegations. Chief Legal Officer Eric Lentell dismissed the lawsuit as “baseless litigation” designed to “slow down its leading competitor“. Archer insists that no confidential information was brought to their company and that they have stringent employee onboarding procedures in place.
This legal dispute further fuels the rivalry between the two California-based companies vying to commercialize electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft. Both firms are in the process of obtaining FAA certification to launch air taxi services, with defense contracts also on the line through partnerships with L3Harris Technologies (Joby) and Anduril Industries (Archer).
A hearing has been scheduled for March 20, 2026.
Source: CNBC