
As development on the successor to the Vision Pro continues apace, Apple has recently filed a lawsuit accusing former senior product design engineer Di Liu of failing to disclose his employment at competitor Snap prior to his departure, and of allegedly exfiltrating a large volume of confidential data to a personal cloud storage account with the intent of providing it to his new employer.
According to a report by SiliconValley.com, Di Liu spent seven years at Apple and most recently served as a design engineer on the Vision Pro project. Apple asserts that Liu resigned citing personal and family reasons, but failed to disclose that he had already accepted a position at Snap in a role strikingly similar to his previous one at Apple—one that also involves the development of augmented reality wearable technology.
Snap is currently advancing the development of its fifth-generation AR glasses, Spectacles. While the product’s market positioning may differ from that of the Vision Pro, both are categorized as mixed reality wearable devices. Apple contends that Liu’s transition to Snap, coupled with the alleged transfer of sensitive information, constitutes a serious breach of confidentiality.
In its complaint, Apple alleges that within three days of resigning, Liu used his internal credentials to download thousands of confidential files and design documents, subsequently uploading them to a private cloud account. He is also accused of deleting portions of data from his work-issued laptop, ostensibly to conceal his actions.
Through the lawsuit, Apple is requesting that the court order Liu to return all proprietary materials and surrender any personal devices or cloud accounts that may contain company secrets, to facilitate forensic investigation. Apple is also seeking unspecified monetary damages.
Snap, in its official response, acknowledged awareness of the litigation but stated that it currently has no reason to believe the allegations are connected to Liu’s role or conduct while employed at Snap.