I read about C3.ai’s lawsuit against Cummins like spotting a cracked cylinder in a gleaming engine. On paper it’s AI innovation – behind the scenes it reeks of opportunism. Alleged misappropriation dressed up as in-house development.
C3.ai says Cummins brought it in during 2020 to build a fuel-efficiency optimisation app, hosted on Cummins’ servers under strict confidentiality and no-reverse-engineering clauses. But Cummins allegedly hired an AI team in India to clone the tool – then binned the contract once their replica was finished. That’s not partnership – that’s piracy.
Cummins loves to preach “Destination Zero” and boast about its sustainability roadmap. But legal claims that they undercut a tech partner to dodge licensing fees shred that narrative. This isn’t innovation – it’s imitation in a stolen jacket.
Cummins tried to get the case thrown out – and failed. The court says the claims are strong enough to proceed. C3.ai is seeking up to $1 billion in damages.
Already bruised by the $2.04 billion emissions scandal – now facing intellectual property allegations and an escalating activist campaign – Cummins’ reputation is corroding faster than a rusted manifold. If they believe in ethics and innovation, they’ll need to prove it in the open – not behind closed doors with borrowed code.
Why It Matters
- Culture – This looks like a pattern, not an outlier.
- Partners – If you work with Cummins, are your ideas safe?
- Public trust – Greenwashed press releases are meaningless if the engine underneath is full of rot.
What’s Next
The case continues in Delaware Superior Court. If Cummins settles quietly, the implications speak for themselves. If they fight it, discovery could expose exactly how far the alleged theft went – and who greenlit it. Either way, it’s not a story that disappears.
The Verdict
When a billion-dollar firm is accused of stealing its way to “innovation”, investors, suppliers and customers ought to pay attention. If Cummins wants to rebuild trust, it can start with transparency – and maybe an apology to the people they claim to collaborate with.
Lee Thompson – Founder, The Cummins Accountability Project
Sources:
- Indianapolis Business Journal – “Lawsuit accuses Cummins of stealing trade secrets” – 9 September 2024
- Bloomberg Law – “Cummins fails to escape C3.ai trade secrets suit” – Motion to dismiss denied