Former Google software engineer Linwei Ding stole over 2,000 confidential pages of flagship AI chip technology for his Beijing startup, yet he was sentenced to just one year in US prison on September 1, 2026. While working on Google's core supercomputing team, Ding secretly exfiltrated confidential files covering custom TPU and GPU hardware systems. He then used those stolen trade secrets to pitch Chinese investors, openly promising to replicate Google's AI architecture to build up China's computing power. Federal prosecutors demanded nearly six years behind bars to send a clear message to foreign competitors. However, the judge vacated the heavier economic espionage charges due to a lack of direct proof linking his startup to official CCP handlers, leaving only the trade secret theft counts intact. The resulting 12-month sentence sits far below what prosecutors wanted, leaving many in the tech sector questioning whether US enforcement is strong enough to deter high-level intellectual property theft.