Apple sues former iOS engineer for leaking Vision Pro details
Apple has filed a lawsuit against Andrew Aude, a former iOS engineer, accusing him of revealing confidential details about the company's unreleased products. The legal proceedings were initiated in a California court approximately ten days ago. The lawsuit alleges that Aude disclosed specifics about Apple's upcoming Journal app, the Vision Pro headset, and various hardware features of future products.
Aude joined Apple in 2016
Aude became part of Apple in 2016 as an iOS engineer specializing in optimizing battery performance. According to Apple's legal team, this position granted Aude access to "information regarding dozens of Apple's most sensitive products."
Accusation of sabotaging upcoming products
The lawsuit suggests that Aude leaked the sensitive information with an intention to "sabotage" products and features he disagreed with. Between June and September 2023, it is reported that Aude had over 1,400 encrypted conversations with a Wall Street Journal journalist. During these interactions, he allegedly shared a final feature list of an undisclosed Apple product verbally. According to Apple, the leaks weren't discovered until late 2023.
Alleged interactions with journalists
Aude's alleged indiscretions extended beyond his interactions with the WSJ journalist, whom he referred to as "Homeboy." He is also accused of sending over 10,000 text messages to a reporter at The Information and even traveled across the country to meet her. It is claimed that Aude frequently captured and stored screenshots of these exchanges on his work-issued iPhone.
Specific instances of information leak
The lawsuit provides specific examples of instances where Aude allegedly shared confidential information. In one case, he read out an email containing the final feature list for an unannounced Apple app over the phone to a WSJ journalist, despite the email's explicit confidentiality warning. On another occasion, he confirmed rumors about an unreleased Apple device's design feature with someone outside of Apple.
Aude's denial and subsequent admission of leaks
When confronted by Apple representatives in November 2023, Aude reportedly denied any involvement in the leaks and falsely claimed he didn't have his work-issued iPhone with him. However, during a break in this meeting, Aude allegedly removed his iPhone from his pocket and permanently erased substantial evidence. In a follow-up meeting on December 12, Aude confessed to leaking information about Apple's regulatory compliance strategies, unannounced products, development policies, and hardware features of certain released products to at least two journalists.
Lawsuit seeks compensation and non-disclosure order
Apple's lawsuit demands a jury trial, compensation, "restitution and/or disgorgement" of bonuses and stock options. It also seeks "An order directing Mr. Aude not to disclose Apple's confidential and proprietary information to third parties without its written consent." The company argues that Aude's actions undermined its competitive advantage and breached the trust placed in him as an employee.