Apple settles Vision Pro trade secrets lawsuit with former engineer
What's the story
Apple has settled its lawsuit against former design engineer Di Liu, who was accused of stealing trade secrets related to the Apple Vision Pro. The case was filed in July 2025, when Apple claimed Liu had taken a "massive volume [of] various novel Apple technologies that are embodied in Apple Vision Pro." The company also alleged that Liu did not disclose his plans to leave for Snap and retained his credentials two weeks longer than needed.
Information theft
Liu allegedly transferred work-related folders to personal cloud storage
The lawsuit also accused Liu of using his Apple credentials to access and transfer thousands of documents containing proprietary information from Apple's secure file storage systems. He was said to have transferred a number of work-related folders from his Apple laptop to personal cloud storage. Initially, Apple sought unspecified damages and demanded the return of its trade secrets.
Resolution terms
Liu publicly apologized on LinkedIn
The settlement was confirmed in a filing with the Santa Clara County Superior Court in California. It stated that Liu had agreed to return Apple confidential information in his possession and pay monetary damages to Apple. He also publicly apologized on LinkedIn, admitting he "dumbly downloaded Apple confidential information and materials." Liu called it "a lapse in judgment" and accepted responsibility for his actions.
Professional consequences
Liu hasn't worked for Snap since being sued
Liu admitted that the repercussions of his actions "have created significant impediments" in his personal and professional life. The lawsuit clearly affected Liu's career as he hasn't worked for Snap since being sued in July 2025. This case isn't an isolated incident for Apple, which has previously sued former employees over trade secret thefts.