Apple Sues Former Engineer for Alleged Vision Pro Trade Secret Theft

Apple has initiated legal action against a former senior product design engineer, accusing him of stealing trade secrets related to the company’s $3,500 Vision Pro headset. The lawsuit, filed on June 24, 2025, in Santa Clara County Superior Court, alleges that Di Liu, a Chinese national residing in San Jose, breached his confidentiality and intellectual property agreement by taking thousands of files containing proprietary information about the Vision Pro and other unreleased Apple technologies during his final days at the company. Liu was employed by Apple from September 2017 until November 2024 and held a senior role in the Vision Products Group.

According to the lawsuit, Liu informed his colleagues that he was resigning for personal and health reasons. However, a review of his Apple-issued work laptop revealed that he had negotiated a position with Snap Inc., which makes its own augmented-reality glasses called Spectacles. Liu received an offer of employment on October 18, 2024, but waited nearly two weeks until October 30 to notify Apple of his resignation. He did not disclose that he was leaving for Snap, which would have prevented Apple from allowing him continued access to proprietary information.

During the two-week period between receiving the job offer and notifying Apple of his resignation, Liu allegedly used his Apple-issued laptop and credentials to access and copy a “massive volume” of confidential documents to his personal cloud storage. These documents included design schematics, R&D records, supply-chain data, and files with internal codenames, many of which were marked as “Apple confidential.” The lawsuit further alleges that Liu deliberately renamed, reorganized, and then deleted files from his company laptop to cover his tracks.

Apple contends that Liu’s actions were intentional and calculated to benefit his new role at Snap, where he now works as a product design engineer on AR hardware. Apple is seeking damages, as well as a court order requiring Liu to return all proprietary materials. The company is also calling for all his devices and cloud accounts to be inspected by forensic examiners. Snap is not named as a defendant in the lawsuit, and Apple is not accusing Snapchat’s parent company of wrongdoing. However, the suit suggests that Liu’s actions may have potentially given Snap an unfair advantage in the spatial-computing market. Snap recently announced plans to debut new lightweight Spectacles with more immersive experiences starting next year.

This legal action underscores the intense competition and high stakes involved in the tech industry, where proprietary information can be a critical advantage. The Vision Pro headset, priced at $3,500, represents a significant investment for Apple, and the alleged theft of trade secrets could have far-reaching implications for the company's competitive position in the AR and VR markets. The lawsuit suggests that the former employee may have accessed and shared confidential information about the Vision Pro's design, features, and technology with Snap, potentially giving the rival company an unfair advantage.

This incident serves as a reminder to companies about the need for robust security measures to protect sensitive information. It also underscores the importance of thorough vetting processes for employees who have access to proprietary data. For Apple, the lawsuit is not just about recovering damages but also about sending a clear message to the industry about the consequences of intellectual property theft. The legal battle between Apple and the former employee is likely to be closely watched by industry observers and competitors alike. The outcome of the lawsuit could set a precedent for how companies handle similar cases in the future and could influence the way tech giants approach employee confidentiality and data protection. As the tech industry continues to evolve, the protection of intellectual property will remain a critical issue for companies seeking to maintain their competitive edge.