Joby Aviation Sues Rival Archer, Alleging Corporate Espionage Over Real Estate Partnership

Joby Aviation has taken legal action against fellow electric air-taxi developer Archer Aviation, claiming a former Joby executive carried confidential files to Archer in an effort to secure a more favorable partnership with a real-estate firm. The complaint, filed Wednesday in California Superior Court in Santa Cruz County, portrays the incident as a deliberate act of corporate espionage designed to undercut Joby’s existing agreement with the unnamed developer.

The suit centers on George Kivork, who served as Joby’s state and local policy lead until his resignation in July. According to court documents, Kivork downloaded dozens of internal files—some of which he allegedly forwarded to his personal email—just two days before leaving the company to join Archer. Joby contends that those documents contained highly sensitive terms of a development partnership, giving Archer detailed insight into pricing, timeline expectations and confidentiality clauses.

Joby says that knowledge was put to immediate use. By August, the original developer, which had previously negotiated with Kivork while he was at Joby, informed the Santa Cruz-based firm that Archer had approached it with what it described as a “more lucrative deal.” The complaint states that Archer’s proposal closely matched specific financial and strategic elements contained in Joby’s confidential materials, allowing Archer to outbid its rival without a lengthy discovery process.

Joby further alleges that the developer later sought to void its existing contract on the grounds that Joby had failed to protect sensitive information, a move the air-taxi pioneer believes was triggered by Archer’s intervention. Joby said Kivork refused to return the documents when contacted during an internal probe, and that Archer has denied any wrongdoing while declining to explain how it learned of the earlier agreement’s terms or to share the findings of its own internal investigation.

The case is currently scheduled for a first hearing on March 20, 2026. Although that date remains nearly two years away, the dispute unfolds at a critical moment for the electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) sector, where multiple firms are racing to obtain Federal Aviation Administration certification required for commercial passenger service.

Beyond the immediate legal implications, Joby argues the lawsuit is necessary to safeguard innovation across the young eVTOL industry. The company’s filing warns that unaddressed theft of proprietary information could distort competition just as policymakers and regulators are formulating the rules that will govern urban air mobility in the United States. The complaint specifically references the federal eVTOL pilot program recently announced by former president Donald Trump as evidence of the sector’s rising profile in Washington.

Joby’s court action adds to an already packed period of technical milestones and capital-market activity for eVTOL firms. Last week, Joby reported the first test flight of a hybrid aircraft it is co-developing with defense contractor L3Harris. Earlier this month, Beta Technologies, backed by Amazon, began trading on the New York Stock Exchange, becoming the latest entrant to list publicly as investors look for growth opportunities in advanced air mobility.

Financial performance has diverged among leading companies. Joby shares have more than doubled over the past 12 months, reflecting continued progress toward certification and commercial launch. Archer’s stock is up about 36% in the same period, despite ongoing expenditures related to aircraft development and infrastructure build-out.

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The new lawsuit is not Archer’s first encounter with intellectual-property claims. In August 2023, the Palo Alto-based company settled a trade-secret dispute with Wisk Aero, a subsidiary of Boeing, agreeing as part of that deal to adopt Wisk as its autonomous-technology partner. While that settlement ended one legal battle, Joby’s latest action suggests that questions about data handling and competitive conduct remain front-and-center in the race to dominate the emerging market for short-haul electric aviation.

Neither Archer nor Kivork has filed a formal response to Joby’s allegations, and both parties declined to comment when contacted by multiple outlets. For now, the court’s docket indicates no immediate injunctions, meaning both companies can continue their development programs while the matter proceeds. Industry observers note that lengthy discovery processes are common in intellectual-property litigation, particularly when proprietary engineering data, contract terms and supplier relationships are at issue.

The outcome of Joby v. Archer could influence future partnerships between eVTOL manufacturers and real-estate developers, which are essential for securing rooftop or urban-heliport access in major cities. A ruling that favors Joby may encourage stricter information-security protocols across the sector, while a decision in Archer’s favor could shift negotiating power among developers looking to host next-generation air-taxi services.

For now, the case stands as a reminder that beyond engineering challenges and regulatory hurdles, control over confidential business data remains a decisive factor in shaping the competitive landscape of urban air mobility.

Crédito da imagem: Roselle Chen / Reuters