Former Meta executive Dipinder Singh Khurana, also known as T.S. Khurana, is facing a lawsuit filed by his ex-employer. Meta accuses Khurana of "brazenly disloyal and dishonest conduct," alleging that he stole confidential documents to aid the creation of his AI cloud startup. Khurana, who climbed the ranks to vice president of infrastructure during his 12-year tenure at Meta, left the company in June 2023 for a senior vice president role at a stealth-mode startup.
Meta's complaint, filed in a northern California state court, claims Khurana misappropriated a "trove of proprietary, highly sensitive" information, including details about Meta's data centers, suppliers, vendors, and AI programs. The stolen documents reportedly contain Meta's contracts with key suppliers and vendors, pricing information, terms, and sensitive employee data.
The lawsuit alleges that Khurana uploaded these documents to his personal Google Drive and Dropbox accounts, some of which were found in folders bearing the name of his new employer. This new company is described as aiming to provide AI cloud computing services at scale, including designing and constructing data centers.
Meta's complaint also highlights that several employees listed in an internal "Top Talent" spreadsheet, believed to have been transferred by Khurana, left Meta to join his new company between June and November 2023. Meta has brought five charges against Khurana, including breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, and violation of California's computer crime laws.
Troy Batterberry, CEO of EchoMark, commented on the situation, saying, "Insider threats represent a significant and growing challenge for organizations, as made clear by the recent case involving an accused former Meta executive. The taking of confidential and proprietary information is not an uncommon situation, especially within enterprises and adequately protecting proprietary information and intellectual property is a prominent issue. The stark reality of what businesses face today regarding data security and insider threats highlights the need to safeguard sensitive information against unauthorized transfers.
Whether or not there's a breach of legal contract, the misconduct is a blatant misuse of privileged access and a breach of professional expectations and conduct. Actions that involve unauthorized sharing of sensitive information not only breach trust but also undermine the very foundation of an organization's integrity and security. Incidents like these are not isolated and can have far-reaching consequences for any organization.”
The case underscores the growing concern over insider threats and the need for companies to safeguard sensitive information against unauthorized transfers. Meta has yet to receive a response to its allegations in court from Khurana or his legal representatives.