Afiniti’s Pakistani-American founder Zia Chishti, has been accused by the corporation of stealing its technology and establishing a rival in China.
The lawsuit against Mr. Chishti was filed by Afiniti earlier this month. According to the lawsuit, Mr. Chishti “conspired with his wife, Sarah Pobereskin, and others to establish a variety of companies based in China, Pakistan, and elsewhere to improperly convert and commercially exploit Afiniti Trade Secrets.”
Zia Chishti allegedly took source code and other trade secrets with him when he departed Afiniti in 2021.
Afiniti has claimed that Mr. Chishti had stolen the technology by refusing to turn over his work computer. The company says that Mr Chishti’s new organizations “targeted and employed Afiniti workers with specialized knowledge of Afiniti trade secrets and activities”. Establishing themselves in the same office as the company’s old Chinese operation and using the same logo. The English word “affinity” is the translation of the Chinese word “Qinhe.”
Mr Chishti denied stealing technology. The Telegraph quotes him saying: “Afiniti’s allegations are detached from reality. I have offered to Afiniti to promptly resolve the matter by reviewing Isbei’s code base, meticulously maintained on Github. This will make it clear that there has been no misappropriation. It will be telling if Afiniti refuses this offer.”
