Recently, Apple filed a lawsuit against a former employee, Andrew Aude, for leaking confidential information to journalists and employees of other companies. The lawsuit alleges that Aude leaked unknown details about Apple’s Journal app, the development of the VisionOS headset, regulatory compliance strategies, employee headcounts, and other product hardware characteristics. In one message, Aude claimed that he leaked information in order to “kill” products and features that he had issues with.
According to the lawsuit, Aude communicated with a Wall Street Journal journalist over 1,400 times using an encrypted messaging app. He also shared a final feature list for an unannounced Apple product over the phone with the same journalist. Additionally, Aude sent over 10,000 text messages to another journalist at The Information and even traveled across the continent to meet with her. Apple claims that Aude took and saved screenshots of his communications on his Apple-issued work iPhone to preserve them.
Aude joined Apple in 2016 as an iOS engineer focused on optimizing battery performance. Due to the nature of his role, he had access to sensitive information about many of Apple’s products. The leaks allegedly went undetected until late 2023, when representatives from Apple confronted Aude about his involvement.
During the initial meeting with Apple representatives, Aude denied his involvement in the leaks and lied about having his Apple-issued iPhone with him. Subsequently, he allegedly faked the need to use the bathroom, took out his iPhone, and deleted significant amounts of evidence from his device, including the Signal app. In a follow-up meeting, Aude admitted to leaking information about Apple’s regulatory compliance strategies, unannounced products, development policies, and hardware characteristics to at least two journalists. He was terminated from his position three days later.
Apple is seeking a jury trial, damages, restitution and/or disgorgement of bonuses and stock options from Aude. The company is also looking for an order directing Aude to cease further dissemination of confidential information. This lawsuit underscores Apple’s commitment to protecting its intellectual property and proprietary information from unauthorized leaks.
The lawsuit filed by Apple against Aude serves as a reminder of the importance of safeguarding confidential information within a company. The consequences of leaking sensitive data can be severe, as demonstrated by the legal actions taken by Apple in this case. It is crucial for employees to adhere to strict confidentiality policies and uphold the trust placed in them by their employer.