A Fremont battery company illegally employed Chinese workers, discriminated against non-Chinese employees, and secretly defied an order from the city to shut down its building, a lawsuit claims.

Gotion kept a “revolving door” of Chinese citizens coming to work at the lithium-ion battery plant despite lacking visas allowing employment, the lawsuit in Alameda County Superior Court alleged.

The three workers who filed the lawsuit — one U.S. citizen and two with work permits — claimed company officials discriminated against them, and made racist comments toward non-Chinese workers.

The lawsuit by Anirban Das, a U.S. citizen of Indian origin, Atul Deshpande, an Indian citizen with a U.S. work authorization, and Betuel Olivares, a Mexican citizen with a work permit, accused Gotion, its China-based parent firm Gotion High-Tech, and a Gotion supervisor named Chen Li of racial discrimination and unlawful termination. They claim they were forced to quit Gotion after they were stripped of job duties, excluded from meetings, and harassed for complaining about alleged illegalities at the company. They are seeking unspecified damages.

Gotion illegally employed Chinese workers in the country on B-1 visas, the lawsuit filed June 13 claimed. According to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the visa allows foreign citizens into the U.S. for up to six months per visit, for purposes including consulting with business associates, attending conferences, negotiating contracts, or participating in short-term training. The lawsuit did not allege a specific number of visa violations, but included two screen shots of text messages purportedly showing workers acknowledging work for the company while on the B-1.

The lawsuit also claimed Gotion brought over a Gotion High-Tech lawyer from China who was not authorized to work or practice law in the U.S., and “advised Gotion how to impermissibly violate U.S. immigration laws.”

Gotion and Gotion High-Tech did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the lawsuit. Gotion describes itself on its website as “a fast growing energy solutions company that aims to innovate and create the next generation of battery technology.”

The Fremont battery plant was rife with “illegal practices,” the lawsuit claimed. The building lacked proper permits and safety features including fire-protection systems, the lawsuit said. The City of Fremont shut the facility down over the purported lack of proper permits, according to the lawsuit, which included a photo of a red “do not enter or occupy” notice on a window, dated March 20, 2024 and citing “work without permits.”

Gotion, however, “illegally covered up the shutdown notice and continued to have employees work in the office notwithstanding the safety risks,” the lawsuit claimed. A photo included in the lawsuit showed what appears to be pages from a Gotion brochure taped to a window.

Not long afterward, city officials shut the plant down again over improperly stored hazardous batteries, the lawsuit alleged.

The City of Fremont did not immediately answer questions about alleged violations by Gotion.

The three plaintiffs all complained to Gotion about the alleged illegal practices, the lawsuit said.

Das was hired in July 2023 as senior director of industrialization for Gotion and Gotion High-Tech, according to the lawsuit. Das oversaw Deshpande, a senior program manager hired a few months earlier than Das, and Olivares, an engineering manager brought on several months later, the lawsuit said.

Gotion officials mistakenly believed Olivares was of Indian origin because of his brown skin, and referred to him, Das and Deshpande as “foreigners” because they were not from China, the lawsuit alleged.

Fred Smith, FedEx founder who revolutionized the package delivery business, dies at 80

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) — Fred Smith, the FedEx Corp. founder who revolutionized the express delivery industry, has died, the company said. He was 80. FedEx started operating in 1973, delivering small parcels and documents more quickly than the post office could. Over the next half-century, Smith, a Marine Corp. veteran, oversaw the growth of a company that combined air and ground service and became something of an economic bellwether because so many other companies rely on it. It’s now a global transportation and logistics company that averages 17 million shipments per business day.

Iran’s internet blackout leaves public in dark and creates an uneven picture of the war with Israel

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — As the war between Israel and Iran hits the one-week mark, Iranians have spent nearly half of the conflict in a near-communication blackout, unable to connect not only with the outside world but also with their neighbors and loved ones across the country. Civilians are left unaware of when and where Israel will strike next, despite Israeli forces issuing warnings through their Persian-language online channels. When the missiles land, disconnected phone and web services mean not knowing for hours or days if their family or friends are among the victims. That’s left many scrambling on various social media apps to see what’s happening — again, only a glimpse of life able to reach the internet in a country of over 80 million people.

Music streaming service Deezer adds AI song tags in fight against fraud

LONDON (AP) — Music streaming service Deezer said Friday that it will start flagging albums with AI-generated songs, part of its fight against streaming fraudsters. The Paris-based company is grappling with a surge in music on its platform created purely with generative artificial intelligence tools that it says are used to fraudulently earn royalties. The app will display an on-screen warning label about AI-generated content and notify listeners that some tracks on an album were created with AI. The company said AI-generated music is an industry wide issue.

Surging travel in Europe spikes concerns over tourism’s drawbacks

MADRID (AP) — Europe is often called the world’s museum, but the ever-increasing visitors it draws have made it ground zero for concerns about overtourism. The travel industry has gone from pandemic bust to record-setting surges in 2025. Last year, 747 million international travelers visited the continent, according to U.N. figures, with Southern and Western Europe taking in more than 70% of them. As the growing tide of humanity strains the region’s housing, water and its Instagrammable neighborhoods, protests against overtourism have proliferated.

Sunken Bayesian superyacht lifted from waters off Sicily as salvage operation completed

PORTICELLO, Italy (AP) — A British-flagged luxury superyacht that sank off Sicily last year, killing U.K. tech magnate Mike Lynch and six others, has been lifted out of the water as salvage recovery crews completed the operation to bring it ashore for further investigation. The white top and blue hull of the 56-meter Bayesian, covered with algae and mud, was visibly clear of the sea on Saturday in a holding area of a yellow floating crane barge. The Bayesian sank Aug. 19 during a violent storm as Lynch was treating friends to a cruise to celebrate his acquittal two months earlier in the U.S. on fraud charges.

ICE raids and their uncertainty scare off workers and baffle businesses

WASHINGTON (AP) — Farmers, cattle ranchers and hotel and restaurant managers breathed a sigh of relief last week when President Donald Trump ordered a pause to immigration raids that were disrupting those industries and scaring foreign-born workers off the job. But the respite didn’t last long. On Wednesday, Assistant Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Tricia McLaughlin declared that worksite enforcement “remains a cornerstone of our efforts to safeguard public safety, national security and economic stability” and that there will be “no safe spaces for industries who harbor violent criminals” or undermine enforcement efforts. The flipflop has baffled businesses trying to figure out the government’s actual policy.

How billionaire Mark Walter, set to own the controlling stake in Lakers, made his fortune

The billionaire slated to takeover the controlling interest in the Los Angeles Lakers has built a career leading businesses investing in everything from sports franchises to artificial intelligence. Mark Walter is CEO of the global investment and advisory company Guggenheim Partners, which is estimated to have more than $325 billion in assets. He’s also co-founder and CEO of holding company TWG Global, which includes a portfolio of businesses spanning several sectors, including finance, technology, insurance, sports and entertainment. Forbes estimates Walter’s net worth is $6.1 billion. The publication ranked him at No. 216 on its Forbes 400 list last year.

You probably don’t need foods with added protein, nutritionists say

Everyone needs protein — it’s vital for the growth, repair and maintenance of your muscles, bones and skin. But how much you need depends on your age, weight and nutritional needs. Despite the increasing range of protein-enriched foods on the market, experts say if you’re getting enough to eat, you are probably getting enough protein. Protein can be found in a wide variety of foods, including meat, dairy and plant-based foods.

US stocks drift to a mixed finish as Wall Street closes another week of modest losses

NEW YORK (AP) — U.S. stocks drifted to a mixed finish in a quiet return to trading following the Juneteenth holiday. The S&P 500 fell 0.2% Friday to close a second straight week of modest losses. The Dow Jones Industrial Average added 0.1%, and the Nasdaq composite fell 0.5%. Kroger jumped following the grocer’s better-than-expected profit report, but Smith & Wesson fell after saying high interest rates and tariffs are pressuring its sales of firearms. Treasury yields held relatively steady after President Donald Trump said he will decide within two weeks whether the U.S. military will get directly involved in Israel’s fighting with Iran.

How Senate Republicans want to change the tax breaks in Trump’s big bill

WASHINGTON (AP) — House and Senate Republicans are taking different approaches when it comes to the tax cuts that lawmakers are looking to include in their massive tax bill. Republicans in the two chambers don’t agree on the size of a deduction for state and local taxes. They are also at odds on such things as allowing people to use their health savings accounts to help pay for their gym membership, or whether electric vehicle and hybrid owners should have to pay an annual fee. How they work out their differences in the coming weeks will help determine how successful they are at passing their marquee legislation.

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• The Robera Neo is an autonomous golf cart that follows you using AI
• A built-in camera can record every stroke for instant video analysis
• It’s already raised more than $300,000 on Kickstarter

Golf is no stranger to tech. From the best GPS golf watches to launch monitors, the game has embraced innovation. But Robera’s latest invention might be golf’s biggest evolution to date: an autonomous cart that carries your clubs and critiques your swing while trailing you from hole to hole.

Launched on Kickstarter, the Robera Neo has raised more than $300,000 (around £225,000 / AU$470,000) – over 6000% of its original target. First delivery is slated for July 2025 and those numbers suggest plenty of golfers are ready to upgrade their trolleys.

GLOBAL technology firm Cisco joined PLDT Enterprise at Tech Week PH in Cebu, highlighting how artificial intelligence and cybersecurity are shaping the next era of work in the Philippines.

The second leg of PLDT Enterprise’s Tech Week PH 2025 brought together business leaders, technology experts, and public sector officials from across the Visayas region. It marked the first time the event was held outside Metro Manila, reinforcing efforts to decentralize digital transformation conversations.

Pavel Svatos, Cisco’s partner networking specialist for the Asia-Pacific, Japan, and China region, addressed more than 1,000 attendees, outlining Cisco’s vision for a connected and resilient digital economy. He emphasized the need for integrated AI, security, and networking solutions to power the modern workplace.

“Companies that adapt fast will lead, while the ones that don’t will risk falling behind,” Svatos said. “The workplace today doesn’t function without a secure, intelligent network that enables seamless connectivity, zero-trust security, and real-time collaboration.”

Svatos noted that the shift to hybrid work has introduced infrastructure and security challenges, particularly for organizations still adapting to distributed operations. Cisco’s response, he said, is a unified platform of AI-ready networking, observability, cybersecurity, and collaboration tools designed to address these gaps and deliver stronger business outcomes.

During the event’s “Tech City” exhibit, Cisco and other tech firms showcased real-world applications of next-generation solutions in industries such as health care, logistics, and telecommunications. Svatos pointed to examples like AI-powered chatbots and mobile data centers as key indicators of how intelligent connectivity is already transforming operations on the ground.

Zaza Soriano-Nicart, Cisco Philippines managing director, said the company’s strategy centers on secure, end-to-end connectivity.

“At Cisco, our strategy is to securely connect everything to make anything possible,” she said. “We’re not just connecting people, apps, and data — we’re also protecting all of it against threats, downtime, and risk.”

PLDT Enterprise, through its nationwide roadshow, aims to broaden access to global tech expertise and solutions in underserved regions. Its ongoing collaboration with companies like Cisco aligns with broader goals of bridging the country’s digital divide and enabling inclusive growth.

The final leg of Tech Week PH 2025 will be held in Metro Manila, where it is expected to draw the largest audience and feature the event’s most comprehensive technology showcase.