Electric taxi maker Archer hit back at Joby by denying claims of a secret Chinese relationship

Electric taxi manufacturer Archer Aviation responded Monday to allegations that Joy Aviation defrauded the US government and its competitors by misrepresenting itself as an American-made company.

The complaint, which was filed in federal court, alleges that Joby relies on a Chinese manufacturing company to obtain critical components from Chinese suppliers with the support of the Chinese government. Archer also claims that Joby tried to hide his “deep ties” to China by falsely misrepresenting thousands of pounds of aircraft parts from China as merchandise – labeling them as hair clippers, socks, and photo frames – to avoid US taxes and foreign controls.

Joby was founded in 2009 in Santa Cruz, California, where it maintains its corporate headquarters. The company also has locations in several US cities and has international operations in Germany, Austria, Costa Rica, and Shenzhen, China, according to documents filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Alex Spiro, a lawyer for Joby, said in an emailed statement that the company “doesn’t respond to nonsense.”

“Archer’s constant legal issues and business meltdowns are no longer actionable but merely theoretical,” Spiro said. “When we see them in court.”

The countersuit comes four months later Joby sued Archer in cases of secret theft. In the lawsuit, which was filed in November in California Superior Court in Santa Cruz County, Joby alleges that Joby’s former employee George Kivork took the trade secrets when he left to join Archer, who used them.

Joby and Archer, who live in San Jose, California, went public in 2021 through a merger with special purpose acquisition companies. The competitors are targeting similar markets, which often overlap. Both are developing electric taxis and pursuing safety measures in their technology.

The timing of Archer’s argument is obvious, especially with the language of complaint about President Trump’s latest order. This executive order ordered the US Department of Aviation and the Federal Aviation Administration to run the test program accelerate the development and commercialization of vertical take-off and landing aircraft. Both companies recently applied for the program, formerly known as the Advanced Air Mobility and Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing Integration Pilot Program.

“Wraping himself in the American flag and marketing his aircraft as ‘Dedication to American Innovation,’ Joby has received hundreds of millions of dollars in funding from the United States government, including the US Air Force partnership, and has positioned himself as a key player in President Trump’s efforts to improve the integration of air taxis in the United States under the 2025 law.

Monday, DOT and FAA accepted eight proposals 26 international pilot program. Archer received permission to participate in three of them, while Joby got five of them.