In the soap opera of Bay Area tech, Flexport is pulling out the drama cards, and it’s a wild ride. The shipping-technology company has slapped two of its former employees with a lawsuit, claiming they swiped trade secrets right before launching their rival company, Freightmate.

The lawsuit, filed in San Francisco’s U.S. District Court, takes the gloves off, stating, “Freightmate is a product of theft, not ingenuity”. Ouch. That’s like calling someone out for a bad haircut at a trendy barbershop, right?

Here’s the tea: Former Flexport director Bryan Lacaillade and manager Yingwei “Jason” Zhao allegedly plotted to kick off Freightmate while still on Flexport’s payroll. They even secured the domain name freightmate.ai three months before their official exits. Talk about planning ahead – or just planning a heist?

So, what went down? Flexport says the duo conspired to form their competing company in “stealth mode,” which sounds way cooler than it probably is. Once Lacaillade made his grand exit in April 2024, Zhao stepped up as the secret agent still lurking around Flexport, waiting to make his move.

Flexport, which has been shaking up global logistics since 2013, claimed Zhao pilfered numerous sensitive documents before he left, downloading thousands of files onto personal storage devices like a tech-savvy Robin Hood. That’s code for “I-ran-off-with-your-data”. Before saying goodbye to Flexport, he managed to grab a complete set of copyrighted code. Smooth move, Jason.

Freightmate, which operates out of Bellevue, Washington, is now out here promoting its product, Docmate, promising automation for shipping documents like it’s the next big thing since sliced bread. CEO Lacaillade and COO Zhao, both former Amazon talents, say they’re bringing zero-touch shipments to life. But if the allegations are true, it looks more like zero-touch ethics.

As Flexport’s lawsuit unfolds, they’re gunning for unspecified damages and want the court to put a stop to any use of their supposedly stolen secrets. In the cutthroat world of Silicon Valley, it seems that some people just can’t resist the lure of a little corporate espionage. Stay tuned for the next episode, because this drama is far from over!