Apple Sues Ex-Engineer Over Alleged Vision Pro Trade Secret Theft Ahead of Snap Role

Apple has initiated legal action against former Vision Pro engineer Di Liu, accusing him of systematically stealing confidential documents related to its augmented reality headset before joining competitor Snap Inc. The lawsuit, filed June 24 in California’s Santa Clara County Superior Court, alleges Liu exfiltrated thousands of files containing proprietary Vision Pro technology, including unreleased features, during his final days at Apple.

According to the complaint, Liu resigned from his position as a senior product design engineer on October 30, 2024, claiming he needed “to spend more time with his family and take care of his health.” However, Apple asserts Liu had secretly accepted a “substantially similar” product design engineering role at Snap two weeks earlier, a fact he deliberately concealed. This omission prevented Apple from immediately revoking his system access, allowing Liu to exploit the standard two-week transition period to download sensitive materials.

Sophisticated Data Theft Uncovered

Forensic evidence cited in the lawsuit reveals Liu meticulously selected and transferred confidential documents to personal cloud storage accounts just three days before his departure. Apple states he organized files into folders labeled “Personal” and “Knowledge,” renamed documents to obscure their nature, and deleted local copies to conceal his activities. The stolen materials reportedly included “various novel Apple technologies that are embodied in Apple Vision Pro or not yet released,” alongside product design specifications, hardware testing protocols, and supply chain strategies.

“The overlap between Apple’s proprietary information that Mr. Liu retained and Snap’s AR products suggests that Mr. Liu intends to use Apple’s proprietary information at Snap,” Apple’s legal team contended in the filing, noting Liu’s current role involves developing Snap’s Spectacles smart glasses. Though Snap isn’t named as a defendant, the social media company stated it “reviewed the allegations in Apple’s Complaint and has no reason to believe they are related to this individual’s employment or conduct at Snap”.

Broader Pattern of IP Protection

This lawsuit continues Apple’s aggressive stance against intellectual property theft. In recent years, the company settled with former engineer Simon Lancaster (2022) over leaks to journalists, sued chip startup Rivos for poaching engineers and stealing secrets (settled 2024), and pursued legal action against at least three former employees accused of sharing technology with China-linked organizations. Dr. Elena Petrov, an intellectual property law professor at Stanford, observes: “Apple’s forensic capabilities and legal responsiveness reflect an evolving corporate reality, companies now treat data exfiltration as inevitable and focus on rapid detection and containment. This case exemplifies how system access logs become critical evidence.”

Legal Remedies Sought

Apple seeks unspecified financial damages for breach of Liu’s confidentiality and intellectual property agreements signed during his seven-year tenure. Critically, the company also demands that Liu return all stolen materials and submit his personal devices and cloud accounts to forensic examination to ensure the deletion of Apple’s proprietary information. Legal experts note this request for device inspection is increasingly common in trade secret cases, as digital files can be replicated indefinitely.

Apple’s ability to trace Liu’s actions despite his alleged deletion efforts highlights the sophisticated monitoring systems guarding its secrets. “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,” the lawsuit emphasized, undermining any potential defense of accidental data transfer.

Ongoing Battle in the AR Arena

The case underscores the high-stakes competition in the augmented reality hardware market. While Snap launched its first Spectacles in 2017, Apple’s Vision Pro represents a technological leap with its spatial computing capabilities. The alleged theft of unreleased Vision Pro features suggests Apple is developing significant upgrades to its headset platform, though details remain confidential.

As the legal process unfolds, the tech industry will watch how this case influences hiring practices and intellectual security protocols. For now, Apple sends another unambiguous message about the consequences it seeks for those accused of compromising its innovations.

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