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According to court documents first spotted by 9to5Mac, former Apple employee Xiaolang Zhang was sentenced to 120 days in prison and fined $146,984 for stealing confidential information about the company’s self-driving car project. The sentence includes a three-year supervised release period (via Engadget).
Former Apple engineer Xiaolang Zhang sentenced to prison, fined for stealing self-driving car project secrets, including circuit board schematics.
Stealing Apple’s Self-Driving Car Plans
Zhang, who worked as a hardware engineer for Apple’s autonomous vehicle initiative, known internally as Project Titan, was arrested in 2018 at San Jose International Airport just before boarding a flight to China.
His arrest came after suspicions arose regarding his sudden departure from the company following paternity leave and a trip to China.
While at Apple, Zhang was involved in designing and testing circuit boards capable of analyzing sensor data, a critical component of self-driving car technology.
However, it was revealed that Zhang had unlawfully transferred sensitive documents and hardware from Apple’s development labs to his personal devices.
The stolen information included a 25-page document containing engineering schematics of a circuit board for Apple’s self-driving vehicle and technical manuals describing the company’s prototype. Zhang had also taken circuit boards and a Linux server from Apple’s labs.
In May 2023, the DOJ stated that these sensitive files could only be accessed by 2,700 of the 135,000 Apple employees at the time.
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Trade Secrets Theft
9to5Mac tells us that Apple’s investigation into Zhang’s activities was triggered by his departure and subsequent employment at XPeng Motors, a Chinese startup working on autonomous driving technology.
The investigation, conducted by Apple’s New Product Security Team, uncovered evidence of Zhang’s unauthorized actions, leading to his arrest and subsequent legal proceedings.
Initially, Zhang pleaded not guilty to the charges brought against him in 2018. However, in August 2022, he changed his plea to guilty, admitting to the theft of trade secrets from Apple. This admission ultimately led to his sentencing this week.
Engadget tells us that Zhang is expected to surrender by June 19, after which he will be sent to a minimum-security facility as close as possible to his San Jose, California home.
The theft of intellectual property is a serious offense, particularly in the highly competitive tech industry. Companies invest significant resources in research and development to maintain a competitive edge, making the protection of trade secrets paramount.
Apple’s Secret Self-Driving Car Plans
Apple’s self-driving car project, which has been in development for over a decade under the Project Titan initiative, has faced numerous challenges and setbacks.
Recent reports suggest that the company has shifted its focus towards developing electric vehicles, with a projected launch date no earlier than 2028.
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