Apple Vision Pro Trade Secrets at the Center of New Lawsuit
Apple is suing a former senior engineer for allegedly stealing Apple Vision Pro trade secrets and taking them to Snap Inc., the company behind Snapchat and Spectacles AR glasses. According to the lawsuit filed on June 24, 2025, in Santa Clara County Superior Court, the ex-employee, Di Liu, is accused of copying sensitive design and development files from Apple’s internal systems shortly before resigning. This lawsuit has raised serious questions about trade secret protection and competition in the augmented reality space.
Ex-Employee Accused of Copying Vision Pro Files
Apple claims Liu accessed and downloaded thousands of internal files related to the Vision Pro headset, including unreleased features, design plans, testing procedures, and supply chain strategies. He reportedly uploaded this data to his personal cloud storage just days before his departure. Although Liu cited health reasons and family time as the reason for leaving Apple, the company alleges he had already accepted a job offer from Snap—Apple’s indirect competitor in AR wearable technology.
How Apple Discovered the Alleged Trade Secret Theft
Apple conducted a forensic analysis of Liu’s work-issued MacBook and found evidence showing that he manually selected, renamed, and uploaded internal documents to a personal account. The company also alleges Liu deleted key files from the device to cover his tracks. Despite Snap not being named in the lawsuit, Apple asserts that Liu’s new responsibilities significantly overlap with the confidential work he did on the Apple Vision Pro, raising concerns over potential misuse of proprietary data.
Apple’s Legal Demands and Snap’s Response
Apple is asking the court to compel Liu to return all stolen materials and grant access to his personal devices to ensure no confidential Apple data remains. The tech giant is also seeking financial damages for breach of contract and misappropriation of trade secrets. In response, Snap has publicly denied that Liu’s role involves any of Apple’s proprietary information and maintains that it is not involved in the legal dispute.
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