Apple has initiated a legal action against Di Liu, a previous senior engineer for the Vision Pro, alleging that he purloined thousands of confidential documents prior to departing the company to take up a position at Snap, a competing entity. The suit asserts that Liu deceived Apple regarding his resignation, claiming he was leaving for health concerns while covertly orchestrating a transition to a similar position at Snap.
The accusations indicate that Liu retrieved a substantial amount of proprietary data merely three days ahead of his exit, utilizing his Apple credentials to move these documents into his personal cloud storage. This maneuver was reportedly enabled by Liu’s omission of his plans to join a rival, permitting him to maintain access to sensitive corporate information throughout the typical two-week notice timeframe.
Apple employs stringent internal security protocols aimed at detecting unusual access or downloading of documents, yet it appears these safeguards were ineffective in thwarting Liu’s endeavors. The company has a history of taking aggressive legal action against former staff suspected of stealing trade secrets. Past cases include lawsuits targeting former employees who transitioned to startups or competitors, with some facing harsh legal repercussions.
In this case, Apple is pursuing unspecified damages from Liu and demands the return of the appropriated information. The company is also asking for a court directive to inspect Liu’s devices to confirm compliance, as he reportedly tried to eliminate evidence of his misconduct.
At this point, Liu has not made any public statements regarding the lawsuit, and Snap has not been associated with any wrongdoing connected to the matter.
