Google and its Indian branch filed legal action in the United States against Harshit Roy, a former employee from their Bengaluru office, for leaking private trade secrets. The released information included comprehensive specs of proprietary hardware and software for Pixel smartphones, which were shared on his social media profiles. Google hired an outside investigator to seek down Roy and prevent him from further disclosing the misappropriated trade secrets that caused irreparable harm to Google.

After lengthy efforts and major resources, Google tracked down Roy in Austin, Texas, due to his ongoing wrongdoing and reluctance to erase his published information. Given his Texas residency and activities involving trade secret misappropriation within the state, as well as threats of further violations, he is subject to the jurisdiction of both the federal Defend Trade Secrets Act (DTSA) and the Texas Uniform Trade Secrets Act. Google swiftly served him on the University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin) campus on November 14, 2024, with a letter requesting his participation in an out-of-court settlement.

Roy published another post on X, containing what appears to be a photograph taken during his employment of his Google-issued laptop computer, displaying an internal Google document detailing the technical specifications for the Pixel smartphone's cryptographic accelerator, a processing chip that allows for more efficient processing of data and, in turn, increased device efficiency, according to the lawsuit.

These docs detailed the essential specifications and functionality of Google's yet-to-be released SoC for unreleased Pixel devices. Roy then flaunted his breach, captioning his post with the following text: "Google, don't expect me to follow any confidentiality agreement."

In addition to Qualcomm, Roy copied Apple, Google's main competitor in the smart device business, on the article. Roy included the statement "Let me know if you need more info," implying that he had other secret Google information and was willing to give it with Google's business rivals.

On the same day, Google's external investigator personally sent Roy a final cease and desist notice, as well as an email copy to his most recent email address.

The notice ordered the immediate removal and return of Google's private information. The letter gave Roy enough time to respond and collaborate with Google to cede control of Google's trade secrets. However, Roy failed to acknowledge or comply with the cease-and-desist notice.