Apple sues former Vision Pro employee for allegedly stealing 'thousands of documents' before joining Snap

Apple has accused a erstwhile technologist for its Vision Pro headset machine of stealing institution commercialized secrets earlier starting a caller occupation astatine Snap, according to a suit filed successful California past week.

In the June 24 tribunal filing, Apple accuses Di Liu, a elder plan engineer, of downloading thousands of documents successful his last days astatine the Cupertino institution past twelvemonth and redeeming them to his idiosyncratic unreality accounts.

This suit is the latest illustration of Apple publically going aft a erstwhile worker for leaking interior information. Apple is an intensely secretive company, and lawsuits similar this 1 item however the iPhone shaper exercises choky power implicit its interior information, adjacent if it has to prosecute ineligible enactment against erstwhile staff.

Apple alleges that Liu didn't pass the institution erstwhile helium resigned precocious past twelvemonth that helium was headed to Snap, a rival and shaper of astute glasses. As a result, Apple did not unopen disconnected his entree to accounts and allowed him a customary two-week modulation period, which helium utilized to download institution files, according to the lawsuit.

"Worse still, the reappraisal of Mr. Liu's Apple-issued enactment laptop besides shows that portion maintaining entree to Apple's Proprietary Information nether mendacious pretenses, helium utilized his Apple credentials to exfiltrate thousands of documents containing Proprietary Information from Apple's unafraid record retention systems," the iPhone maker's lawyers said successful the filing.

Many of the files downloaded by Liu had codenames for Apple projects and described the company's technology, merchandise plan and proviso chain, according to the lawsuit. Apple says that each employees hold to support Apple files confidential and that Liu broke confidentiality agreements helium made erstwhile helium joined. Liu worked for Apple betwixt 2017 and 2024, according to the lawsuit.

Liu worked connected Apple's Vision Pro headset arsenic a strategy merchandise plan engineer, per the filing. Liu did not respond to a petition for remark from CNBC.

Apple lawyers wrote that Liu could usage the commercialized secrets successful his enactment astatine Snap. Apple is not suing Snap.

"The overlap betwixt Apple's Proprietary Information that Mr. Liu retained and Snap's AR products (for which Mr. Liu is simply a 'product plan engineer') suggests that Mr. Liu intends to usage Apple's Proprietary Information astatine Snap," according to the filing.

"We person reviewed the allegations successful Apple's Complaint and person nary crushed to judge they are related to this individual's employment oregon behaviour astatine Snap," a Snap spokesperson said successful a statement.

Apple is seeking damages and for Liu to person his devices inspected by a forensic examiner to marque definite each the commercialized secrets are deleted.

The iPhone shaper has sued respective erstwhile employees successful caller years for taking files erstwhile they near the company.

Apple settled with erstwhile technologist Simon Lancaster in 2022 implicit providing accusation to a journalist. Apple besides sued a erstwhile employee, Andrew Aude, successful 2024 implicit leaking details to the media. That suit was dismissed aft Aude apologized.

The Cupertino institution sued Rivos, a spot startup staffed by erstwhile Apple semiconductor employees, implicit its intelligence property, and settled successful 2024.

Additionally astatine slightest 3 former Apple employees person besides been arrested and accused by the government of taking institution secrets and giving them to China-linked organizations. One pled guilty and was sentenced to 4 months successful prison, and 2 are inactive successful proceedings.

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