A former Intel employee who relied on the firm's internal documents to bargain with it during negotiations while working for Microsoft has been sentenced to two years' probation. Varun Gupta, who had worked for ten years at Intel, was sued by the firm in 2021 for transferring internal documents to Microsoft. He had agreed to a confidential settlement back then after being caught a year after starting to work for Microsoft. The former Microsoft and Intel employee has shifted his family to France and now plans to work in the wine industry.
Former Intel Product Marketing Engineer Sentenced To Two Years Probation & A $34,472 Fine For Stealing & Sharing Trade Secrets
Gupta had left Intel to work at Microsoft in January 2020 and was sued by Intel in February 2021 for taking confidential documents with him. These documents included roughly 4,000 data files, including Intel's pricing strategies and rival business analysis, which covered Gupta's role as an Intel product marketing engineer. Gupta transferred the documents to portable storage devices and even uploaded them onto his Microsoft-issued work laptop.
The former Intel employee agreed to settle with Intel in June 2021, which included a confidential payment to the firm. Gupta's downfall started when Intel's employees became suspicious that he was using the firm's internal knowledge to negotiate with them as a Microsoft representative. Microsoft aided in Intel's investigation, and Gupta had been negotiating with Intel for a contract involving processor purchases.
Gupta's sentencing, announced on Tuesday, was lighter than what the prosecution had sought. He had been charged with possessing stolen trade secrets in December 2024, and Assistant US Attorney William Narus had argued for an eight-month sentencing. Narus had argued that Gupta should go to jail since he had repeatedly used internal Intel documents, which was unique in his case.
However, Gupta's attorney, David Angeli, had countered by pointing out that his client had already paid a $40,000 settlement in Intel's civil lawsuit and had suffered from reputational damage, which ended his career in the technology industry. Angeli added that Gupta had neither enriched himself with his actions nor transferred sensitive Intel trade secrets to foreign entities.
Gupta had pleaded guilty to stealing and sharing trade secrets in February. Judge Amy Baggio agreed with the defense's sentencing recommendation and sentenced him to eight months of probation. However, she added a $34,472 fine as a cost of the eight months of federal imprisonment for deterrence and repeat violations.
Gupta now plans to work in the French winemaking industry and is undertaking graduate studies in vineyard management. He has also shifted his family to France, and Judge Baggio ascribed his loss of reputation as one reason behind the lenient sentence.
About the author: Ramish is a seasoned technology writer and editor with more than a decade of experience. He specializes in semiconductor fabrication and market analysis. With a background in finance and supply chain management - via his bachelors in Finance and a micromasters in supply chain management from MIT - Ramish combines financial rigor with deep industry insight to deliver accurate and authoritative coverage.
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