Former Google engineer Linwei Ding is accused of stealing AI trade secrets from China
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A judge has found a former Google engineer guilty of stealing artificial intelligence (AI) trade secrets and spying on Chinese tech companies, ending a high-profile Silicon Valley trial.
According to court documents obtained by FOX Business, Linwei Ding, also known as Leon Ding, was convicted Thursday of all charges after an 11-day trial in US District Court in San Francisco.
Prosecutors allege that Ding secretly stole proprietary AI-related data from Google while working with companies linked to the People’s Republic of China.
Ding, 38, was hired by Google in 2019 as a software engineer working in the company’s data centers involved in training and deploying advanced AI models.
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The giant Google logo on Google’s Bay View campus in Mountain View, Calif., Aug. 13, 2024 (Josh Edelson/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)
A jury found him guilty of seven counts of theft of trade secrets and seven counts of economic espionage, concluding that he stole confidential AI technology while working at Google.
The stolen information includes Google’s proprietary hardware and software systems used to power AI workloads, including custom chips and network technology.
Federal prosecutors said Ding began copying sensitive internal Google documents in May 2022 and transferred the files to personal cloud accounts while hiding the work to evade security systems.
The government said Ding handed over more than 1,000 unique files containing nearly 14,000 pages, with 105 documents forming the core of the criminal case.
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A former Google employee was convicted of stealing AI secrets from Chinese firms. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images/Getty Images)
Defense attorneys say Ding never sold or used the information and say Google failed to properly protect the documents.
“We respect the jury’s decision, but we are obviously disappointed,” said Ding’s lawyer, Grant Fondo of Goodwin Procter, after the verdict was announced.
Ding was indicted in March 2024 and a superseding case was filed on Feb. 4. 2025, it increased the cases.
Prosecutors accused Ding of secretly dealing with two China-based technology companies, including serving as a chief technology officer and co-founder while paying off Google.
The lawsuit also accused Ding of misleading investors that he could emulate Google’s AI supercomputing technology.
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FBO Headquarters in Washington, DC, July 3, 2023. (Celal Güneş/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images/Getty Images)
The judge “sent a clear message today that the theft of this vital technology will not go unpunished,” US Attorney Craig H. Missakian said in a statement, adding that authorities “will vigorously protect America’s intellectual capital.”
FBI San Francisco Special Agent in Charge Sanjay Virmani also called the case a matter of national security.
“The theft and misuse of advanced intelligence technology for the benefit of the People’s Republic of China threatens our technology sector and economic competitiveness,” Virmani said in a statement.
US District Judge Vince Chhabria ordered Ding released pending sentencing, saying he was not a flight risk.
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Ding faces up to 10 years in prison on each felony count and 15 years on each espionage count, along with potential fines in the millions.
His next court appearance is scheduled for February 3, when the sentencing hearing is expected to continue.
FOX Business has reached out to the Justice Department and Google for further comment.
