Apple's Vision Pro took over the AR/VR space for the immersive experience offered, with many jumping in to replicate the features and the outlook, but till now, the headset remains unbeaten. With the competition in the industry getting more intense, preventing any misuse of intellectual property is vital. Such has been the case recently as the Cupertino-based tech giant is now legally charging a former employee for stealing some key proprietary data related to the Visio Pro headset and handing it over to Snap, where the employee currently works.
Apple is accusing its former engineer of stealing Vision Pro secrets and handing them over to Snap
Apple's Vision Pro headset has been able to draw massive attention not only for its premium design but also for the immersive spatial community experience, as well as seamless integration across its ecosystem, making it easier for users to share their files across devices. However, it seems that many are eyeing to tarnish its position if not by innovating, then by stealing. Apple filed a lawsuit in Santa Clara County on June 24, 2025, against one of its former employees, Di Liu, for allegedly violating its intellectual property and stealing Vision Pro's secrets.
As per the legal filing via SiliconValley.com, Liu worked for Apple for seven years. Before moving to another company, he was a senior product design engineer and had access to technology used in Apple Vision Pro and upcoming products. In his last few days at the company, the former member is said to have transferred confidential files to his personal cloud storage account.
The lawsuit further claims that Di Liu intentionally did not inform Apple that he had accepted a position at Snap Inc., which also serves in the AR space and is a direct competitor. Instead, he cited his reason for stepping down as personal and related to spending quality time with family. The information was said to have been withheld to avoid the protocol that is immediately followed for offboarding, which includes cutting access to internal systems.
Apple strongly claims that a massive volume of confidential information was accessed and copied from the MacBook issued by the company, including information related to the Vision Pro's design, hardware testing, and even some capabilities yet to be introduced. It was through a forensic analysis done on Liu's device that the tech giant learned about this misconduct. Additionally, Liu is said to have deleted the files from the laptop so that no one could find out about the data transfer, further highlighting the extent of the illegal act.
Apple now seeks the immediate return of the trade secrets that have been stolen and also unspecified financial damages. It even urges the court to have Di Liu hand over his personal devices and cloud accounts to further understand the extent of the theft. While we have sparse information on what the accused has to say on this, Snap quickly responded and said they have no connection to Liu's conduct. This is not the first time Apple pursued an ex employee legally for stealing confidential information and serves a reminder of how serious it takes such breaches.
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