Apple just wrapped up a major legal battle with a former engineer accused of stealing confidential information about the Vision Pro. The company filed its lawsuit last summer, claiming the employee secretly downloaded thousands of internal documents right before taking a new job at Snap.
Now, both sides have reached an agreement to close the case, with the former worker agreeing to return the files and pay a financial penalty.
Here’s how the Vision Pro theft happened
Di Liu worked on hardware and design for the Vision Pro headset from 2017 until late 2024. When he decided to resign, he told his coworkers he wanted to focus on his health and spend more time with his family. Because of this explanation, Apple allowed him to keep his access to the company network for an extra two weeks.
However, a review of his work laptop later showed a different story. Liu had actually accepted a job offer from Snap, a company that also builds augmented reality glasses. During his final days, he used his active credentials to transfer thousands of confidential files to a personal cloud storage account. These folders contained proprietary technology and secret product code names.
The final settlement and apology
Apple took legal action, noting it would have cut his access immediately if it knew he was leaving for a direct competitor. The recent settlement requires Liu to pay monetary damages to Apple and confirm the return of all proprietary materials.
Following the agreement, Liu posted a public apology on LinkedIn. He admitted that downloading the files was a terrible lapse in judgment and apologized for betraying the trust of his former employer.
He also mentioned that his actions caused major problems for his personal life and career. He reportedly left his role at Snap the same month the lawsuit became public.
