Apple is taking legal action against a former senior engineer, Di Liu, claiming he stole important company information about its upcoming Vision Pro headset before joining Snap Inc.
Court documents filed in California on June 24, 2025, reveal that Liu, who worked at Apple from 2017 until his departure in 2024, allegedly downloaded thousands of confidential files in his last days at the company. Apple says this data transfer happened while Liu still had access to his work laptop and credentials.
Liu was a system product design engineer for the Vision Pro, which is Apple’s most ambitious mixed-reality headset. The company claims that the documents he took included exclusive hardware designs, technology blueprints, internal project names, and sensitive supply chain information.
What raises additional concerns for Apple is that Liu moved to Snap, a direct competitor known for its Spectacles smart glasses, without informing Apple during his resignation. This allowed him a regular two-week transition period, during which Apple alleges he misused his access to extract classified information.
In the legal filing, Apple’s attorneys stated that a review of Liu’s work laptop showed evidence of him using his Apple credentials to take thousands of documents from secure storage systems while pretending to still be an employee.
Though Liu is the only one being sued, Apple’s legal team points out the unsettling similarities between the documents in question and Snap’s work in augmented reality. While Snap is not involved in the lawsuit, Apple clearly sees Liu’s new role as a potential threat to its business.
This lawsuit is part of Apple’s ongoing efforts to safeguard its intellectual property. The company has previously gone after ex-employees suspected of leaking sensitive information, including a 2022 settlement with Simon Lancaster and a 2024 lawsuit against Andrew Aude, which was later dropped after he apologized.
As the case unfolds, many are watching closely to see how the court interprets Liu’s actions and whether Apple’s allegations of corporate espionage will stand up to scrutiny.
