Flexport — one of the most valuable US logistics startups — has sued two former employees for creating a competing startup, Freightmate AI, based on stolen information.
Flexport — one of the most valuable US logistics startups — has sued two former employees for creating a competing startup, Freightmate AI, based on stolen information.
“Defendant Freightmate is a product of theft, not ingenuity,” the lawsuit filed in a California court states.
Freightmate AI responded that it “denies Flexport’s claims and intends to vigorously defend itself in court,” Business Insider writes .
The lawsuit alleges that Freightmate AI CEO Brian Lacaillade and COO Jason Zhao stole files and data from Flexport. The startup was founded last year after the founders left Flexport. Both worked there from 2021 to 2024.
Flexport lawyers allege that the two men “secretly conspired to create a competing company” months before they left the company. The lawsuit also states that Lacaillade left first to found Freightmate AI, while Zhao stayed as a “secret agent” to steal Flexport’s trade secrets.
“Zhao uploaded hundreds, sometimes thousands, of files per day to personal USB drives or cloud storage, using methods to cover his tracks,” the lawyers wrote, adding that Zhao downloaded Flexport’s source code days before he left the company.
Both Lacaillade and Zhao admitted to taking some Flexport documents and data by accident, although they “refused to allow any review of Freightmate’s source code” when confronting Flexport in court.
Flexport wants to “reclaim its stolen property” and prohibit Freightmate AI from using its confidential information.
