Apple Sues Ex-Engineer for AR Secrets Leak to Snap

Apple has taken legal action against a former employee, Di Liu, who allegedly stole confidential files related to the company's augmented reality (AR) headset, the Vision Pro. The lawsuit, filed in Santa Clara County Superior Court, accuses Liu of taking thousands of files and transferring them to personal cloud storage before joining Snap, a company now focused on developing AR products.

Liu resigned from Apple on October 30, 2024, under the pretext of spending more time with his family and taking care of his health. However, the complaint reveals that he had already received a job offer from Snap on October 18, 2024, and waited nearly two weeks to resign. During this period, he maintained access to his Apple-issued laptop, which he used to copy the sensitive files.

According to the lawsuit, Liu copied more than a dozen folders containing thousands of files, including confidential product code names and documents marked as Apple confidential. The stolen data included research, product design, and supply chain management documents. Liu also deleted files to conceal his activities, complicating Apple's efforts to determine the full extent of the data he exfiltrated.

Apple demands a jury trial on a single count of breach of contract under a confidentiality and intellectual property agreement. The company is seeking the return of all misappropriated data, unspecified damages, and the reimbursement of legal costs and attorneys' fees.

Liu's actions are not unique; Apple has faced similar allegations in the past. In recent years, the tech giant has accused various employees of intellectual property theft, including an autonomous car engineer who admitted to stealing data from Project Titan and chip developers accused of taking design secrets. Apple's strict confidentiality policies and the value of its intellectual property make such incidents particularly concerning.

A spokesperson for Snap stated that the company has reviewed the allegations and found no reason to believe they are related to Liu's employment or conduct at Snap. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment, and Liu could not be reached for further details.