The car that got taken three times
Apple’s self-driving car project shows up in three separate cases, more than any other company on the list. Each case is about a different part. Pull one out.
Updated · 4 sources cited
Case 1 · 2018 · Circuit boards
What was taken
Engineering schematics for a circuit board, plus reference manuals and documents describing prototypes. The engineer worked on the team that designed and tested circuit boards for the car’s sensors.
How it came out
He resigned after a trip to China and said he was joining a Chinese electric vehicle company. Apple found downloads from its databases. Lab cameras showed him removing hardware, according to the complaint.
What happened
Arrested at the San Jose airport in July 2018. Pleaded guilty in August 2022. Sentenced in 2024.
Case 2 · 2019 · Project files
What prosecutors say was taken
Trade secrets from the car division. The case names files from the self-driving car project.
How it came out
Charged in early 2019. Like the first engineer, he had planned to travel to China, according to reporting on the case.
What happened
He pleaded not guilty. No public resolution has been found.
These are allegations. He is presumed innocent.
Source: CNBC, CourtListener
Case 3 · 2023 · Source code
What prosecutors say was taken
Six categories of material, the indictment says. The first one on the list: the entire autonomy source code.
How it came out
After he left, Apple’s access logs showed large amounts of sensitive material accessed in his last days. Agents searched his home in June 2018. He boarded a one-way flight to Guangzhou that night, the indictment says.
What happened
Indicted in May 2023, five years after the search. He is outside the US.
These are allegations. He is presumed innocent.
Source: US Attorney, N.D. California
- 2018 · circuit boards120 days
- 2019 · project filesCharged · unproven
- 2023 · source codeCharged · unproven
Three cases over one project. One guilty plea and 120 days in prison. Two cases still unproven, with no verdict in either.