Archer Aviation (ACHR) is an electric air taxi developer with a pattern of failing to deliver on public flight demonstrations, despite months of promotional buildup and executive promises.

After heavily promoting a planned flight of its flagship Midnight eVTOL at the 2025 Dubai Airshow—with CEO Adam Goldstein quoted in promotional materials as early as August—Archer's aircraft never flew at the event. The company brought only a static display to the exhibition hall and never publicly acknowledged the cancellation. Meanwhile, competitor Joby Aviation flew repeatedly at the same show and filed an 11-count lawsuit accusing Archer of "corporate espionage, planned and premeditated." Hunterbrook Capital is short ACHR and long JOBY.

Promised to fly Midnight at Dubai Airshow with CEO quoted in promotional materials. Aircraft remained static in exhibition hall. Never acknowledged cancellation.

Announced "public flight demonstration at the World Expo" in late 2024. Partner Soracle confirmed Archer "will no longer be able to accommodate" the timeline. Static display only.

Did fly at California air show, but footage appears to show traditional landing rather than vertical landing—a key capability for eVTOL aircraft.

Promoted flight "in UAE" as part of commercial launch. Actually occurred at Al Ain International Airport, 50+ miles from Dubai Airshow in "entirely different emirate." Video suspiciously omits transition from takeoff to forward flight.

Filed in California Superior Court by Quinn Emmanuel (star litigator Alex Spiro), the 36-page complaint accuses Archer of:

• Trade Secret Theft: George Kivork, Joby's former U.S. State and Local Policy Lead, downloaded dozens of confidential files two days before resigning in August 2025
• Corporate Espionage: Altered permissions on "hundreds" of internal files, adding his personal Gmail as owner to access after departure
• Stolen Information: Files included confidential commercial agreements, regulatory strategies, vertiport plans, and technical aircraft information
• Competitive Interference: Archer used stolen information to undercut Joby's deal with a real estate developer, knowing "specific—and highly confidential—terms"
• Refusal to Cooperate: Archer refused to return information or share findings of its own supposed investigation

Charges include: Trade-secret theft, inducing breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, breach of loyalty, and unfair competition.

"There does appear to be at least one trade secret of Joby's that Archer hasn't stolen: the consistent ability to fly eVTOLs in public." — Hunterbrook Media