Joby Aviation makes ‘corporate espionage’ claims in lawsuit against rival Archer

Joby Aviation has filed a lawsuit against rival Archer Aviation, accusing Archer of corporate espionage involving stolen trade secrets. The complaint alleges that George Kivork, a former Joby employee who joined Archer, exfiltrated confidential Joby documents containing sensitive information on partnerships, business strategies, vertiport infrastructure, and aircraft operations shortly before resigning. Joby claims Archer used this stolen information to approach one of Joby’s strategic partners and interfere with its business. The lawsuit characterizes these actions as "planned and premeditated" corporate espionage, forcing Joby to seek legal protection for its proprietary information. Archer strongly denies the allegations, with its chief legal officer Eric Lentell calling the lawsuit baseless and an attempt by Joby to distract from its own weaknesses. Archer contends that the accused employee was non-technical and that no specific trade secrets or evidence of misappropriation have been identified. The company also emphasizes its rigorous employee onboarding procedures designed to prevent such issues and acc