The U.S. Justice Department has charged two men, Mr. Pflugbeil and Mr. Shao, identified as former employees of Hibar Systems, a Canadian company acquired by Tesla in 2019, with the theft of trade secrets related to Tesla's battery manufacturing technology. The individuals, a Canadian resident of China and his business partner, are accused of establishing a company in China with the intention of leveraging the stolen proprietary information. The Canadian was arrested in New York and is alleged to have attempted to sell the stolen technology to undercover law enforcement officers. This case highlights ongoing concerns regarding industrial espionage and the protection of intellectual property in the competitive electric vehicle industry.