A former Apple engineer, accused of stealing trade secrets regarding the Apple Vision Pro, has settled their lawsuit with the company.
Back in July 2025, Apple accused design engineer Di Liu of stealing a "massive volume [of] various novel Apple technologies that are embodied in Apple Vision Pro." Liu also didn't disclose his plans to leave Apple for Snap, leaving him with Apple credentials two weeks longer than necessary.
Per Apple's lawsuit, Liu "used his Apple credentials to exfiltrate thousands of documents containing Proprietary Information from Apple's secure file storage systems." The former engineer allegedly copied countless work-related folders from his Apple-issued laptop to his personal cloud storage.
Initially, Apple sought unspecified damages and demanded that Liu return its trade secrets. As 9to5mac points out, the iPhone maker ultimately got everything it wanted, as the two parties have now settled the case.
The settlement was acknowledged in a filing with the Santa Clara County Superior Court in California. "Mr. Liu has reached an agreement with Apple to resolve this matter by returning Apple confidential information in his possession and making a payment to Apple for monetary damages," reads the filing.
Additionally, Liu publicly apologized to Apple via a LinkedIn post, where he admits he "dumbly downloaded Apple confidential information and materials." He called the move "a lapse in judgment," and says he accepts responsibility for his actions.
In his post, Liu also said that the consequences of his actions "have created significant impediments" in his personal and professional life. The lawsuit clearly impacted Liu's career, given that he has not worked for Snap since he was sued in July 2025.
This isn't the first time Apple has sued a former employee over the theft of trade secrets.
In 2022, an employee allegedly leaked confidential information to the press, while in 2023, three former Apple engineers supposedly stole details about the Apple Car project. A year later, in 2024, the iPhone maker sued the startup Rivos for stealing trade secrets and poaching engineers.
When it comes to protecting trade secrets, Apple doesn't only go after its former employees, either. The same month it sued Di Liu, Apple filed a lawsuit against YouTuber Jon Prosser, alleging he stole trade secrets related to iOS 26. That lawsuit, unlike the one regarding Apple Vision Pro trade secrets, is still ongoing.
