In 2023, an ex-Apple employee named Andrew Aude was sued by the company for allegedly violating a confidentiality agreement and disclosing confidential information to competitors. Aude, who worked as a software engineer for Apple for about eight years, is accused of sharing valuable data related to Apple’s key products, including Vision Pro and the Journal application, with rival companies.
Furthermore, Aude is also accused of providing other sensitive information about Apple, such as product development policies and the number of employees. Consequently, Apple is demanding approximately $25,000 in damages.
Some of Aude’s leaks have previously appeared in reputable media outlets. In April 2023, journalist Aaron Tilley of The Wall Street Journal reported on the Journal, which was at that time unclear about Apple’s plans.
Aude reportedly sent over 11,000 text messages to journalists, with content related to the development of spatial computing devices. Based on the collected documents, Apple announced that Aude revealed five secrets that were supposed to be kept confidential and were later published in newspapers. These leaks have reportedly hindered Apple’s ability to “surprise and delight” customers with their products.
Apple fired Aude at the end of 2023, and Aude, in turn, said that he had disclosed only a limited amount of information and refused to cooperate with Apple. Despite Apple’s attempts to agree with Aude, the company was ultimately forced to take legal action against its former employee to seek compensation for the impact of leaked information on journalists and competing companies.