Apple Sues Ex-Engineer for Alleged Theft of Vision Pro Secrets Amid AR Competition

Apple Sues Ex-Engineer Over Alleged Theft Of Vision Pro Secrets As Snap Prepares AR Glasses Launch - Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Snap (NYSE:SNAP)

Apple, Inc. AAPL filed a lawsuit in California last week, accusing former senior design engineer Di Liu of stealing confidential company information before leaving to work at Snap Inc. SNAP. The Details: Apple alleged that Liu downloaded thousands of sensitive files and stored them in his personal cloud accounts during his final days at the company, according to CNBC. Liu, who worked on the Vision Pro headset, reportedly did not disclose that he was joining Snap, a competitor in the smart glasses market, when he resigned late last year. Read Next: What Happened With Apple Stock Today? As a result, Apple granted him the standard two-week transition period, during which he allegedly accessed and copied proprietary files. Apple's legal team stated that Liu used his company credentials to transfer documents containing project code names, technical details, product designs, and supply chain information. Apple also suggested that the information Liu took could benefit Snap's augmented reality products, though Apple did not take legal action against Snap itself. Snap responded by saying they found no evidence that the allegations related to Liu's work at their company. Apple sought damages and requested a forensic review of Liu's devices to ensure all sensitive data was deleted. Why It Matters: Snap recently announced that it will launch Specs, a pair of lightweight, immersive AR glasses, in 2026. Specs are described as an ultra-powerful wearable computer built into a lightweight glasses frame, featuring see-through lenses that blend digital experiences with the physical world. In related industry news, Meta is reportedly preparing to launch a new version of its smart glasses, priced between $1,000 and $1,400, featuring a built-in screen and hand-gesture controls, as competition intensifies with Apple's $3,500 Vision Pro. Read Next: Microsoft, Rivian, Intel Slash Jobs In June Tech Layoff Spree Photo: Vision Pro, Courtesy Apple AAPLApple Inc $209.031.88% Stock Score Locked: Want to See it? Benzinga Rankings give you vital metrics on any stock - anytime. Reveal Full Score Edge Rankings Momentum 24.98 Growth 32.19 Quality 75.95 Value 9.25 Price Trend Short Medium Long Overview SNAPSnap Inc $9.357.59% This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors. Market News and Data brought to you by Benzinga APIs

Apple accuses former employee of stealing Vision Pro secrets before joining Snap

The tech giant pointed out that the information he took could be useful to Snap's AR Spectacles products. Apple has filed a lawsuit against a former employee, accusing him of stealing confidential research about the Vision Pro headset before leaving the company to work at Snap. The lawsuit claims that Di Liu, a former senior design engineer for the Vision Pro, took thousands of sensitive files and saved them to his personal cloud account just before leaving Apple. According to the lawsuit, Liu told Apple that he was quitting for health reasons and did not disclose that he had already accepted a job as a product design engineer at Snap, reports The Verge. This false information prevented Apple from taking immediate steps to block his access to internal systems, which is the company's usual policy when an employee joins a rival. The tech giant believes this gave Liu the chance to copy a "massive volume" of proprietary data that he could access later, even after losing access to Apple's network. Also read: Apple may let ChatGPT and Anthropic power Siri amid internal AI setbacks "Mr. Liu's actions were deliberate; logs on his Apple-issued work laptop show that Mr. Liu individually selected the folders he copied and, in some cases, renamed and reorganized them after moving them to his personal cloud storage account," Apple said in the complaint. "Further, Mr. Liu took actions to conceal movement of the files, intentionally deleting files from his Apple-issued work laptop." The company said it cannot be sure exactly what Liu downloaded, but pointed out that the kind of information he took could be useful to Snap's AR Spectacles products. Apple claims this raises concerns that Liu might use the stolen information at Snap. Apple is asking the court to order Liu to return all the documents and is seeking financial compensation for breaking his contract. However, the company has not named Snap as a defendant in the case. Also read: Apple may let ChatGPT and Anthropic power Siri amid internal AI setbacks Snap responded to the claims, saying it had reviewed Apple's allegations and had "no reason to believe they are related to this individual's employment or conduct at Snap." Well, this isn't the first time Apple has taken legal action against former workers for leaking confidential information. The company withdrew a lawsuit against a former iOS engineer in February and had previously settled a similar case in 2022 with a former design architect, both of whom were accused of leaking confidential trade secrets to the media.