An electric air taxi operated by Joby Aviation flies near the Downtown Manhattan Heliport in Manhattan, New York City, USA, on November 12, 2023.
Roselle Chen | Reuters
air taxi manufacturers joby aviation Competitor accused in new lawsuit archer aviation A former employee is suspected of using stolen information to “one-up” a partnership agreement with a real estate developer.
“This is a premeditated and premeditated act of corporate espionage,” Joby said in a lawsuit filed Wednesday in California Superior Court in Santa Cruz, where the company is based.
The complaint alleges that George Kivoke, Mr. Joby’s then-head of U.S. state and local policy, downloaded dozens of files and sent some of the contents to a personal email two days before he resigned to take a job at Archer, which hired Mr. Joby in July.
By August, Joby said a partner working with Kivork said Archer had offered him a “better deal.”
Joby argued that eVTOL’s rivals’ understanding of “sensitive” details helped leverage negotiations.
Joby also said the developer tried to terminate the contract citing breach of confidentiality.
Archer said in a statement to CNBC that the lawsuit is a “baseless lawsuit” aimed at slowing down a powerful competitor.
“Mr. Joby’s lawsuit is completely without merit,” said Eric Rentel, Archer’s chief legal and strategy officer. “The complaint, which involves a non-technical employee who recently joined Archer in a business development role, does not identify any specific trade secrets, let alone evidence of misappropriation.”
Archer said the company has strict employee onboarding procedures aimed at preventing the kind of conduct Joby has accused of.
A public hearing is scheduled for March 20, 2026.
According to the complaint, Joby said Kivok refused to return the files when contacted by the company after the investigation.
The company also said Mr. Archer denies wrongdoing and would not disclose how he learned of the terms of the contract or the results of an internal investigation he allegedly conducted.
Prior to joining Joby, Kivork worked as a senior public policy manager. lift. He also served as an attorney in the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of General Counsel. In that role, Kiborg worked to develop rules to “protect U.S. manufacturers and exporters from unfair trade practices,” according to LinkedIn.
The lawsuit comes during a busy period for electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) technology, as companies race to obtain Federal Aviation Administration certification to begin commercial flights. ‘
The field is also benefiting from President Donald Trump’s new eVTOL testing program.
Joby argued in his complaint that protecting his work “from this type of espionage” is “essential” to fostering success in the field and ensuring fair competition.
Last week, Joby announced it had completed the first test flight of a hybrid aircraft it is developing with a defense contractor. L3 Harris. this month, AmazonAnother electric airplane company, Beta Technologies, backed by , also went public on the New York Stock Exchange.
Joby stock has more than doubled in the last year, while Archer stock has risen about 36%.
In August 2023, Archer settled an earlier legal dispute. boeingOwned by Whisk Aero Corp., charged with trade secret theft. As part of the deal, Archer agreed to use Whisk as its self-driving technology partner.
Stock price chart for Joby and Archer from the beginning of the year to today.
