Apple officially dropped its lawsuit against former engineer Andrew Aude. The company filed a case in March 2024, alleging that Aude shared the company’s confidential information with journalists including details about Vision Pro headset and corporate policies.
A court filing on February 6 confirmed that Apple and Aude had reached a settlement, although specific terms are yet to be disclosed. Following the resolution, Aude took to X (formerly Twitter) to express regret over his actions, stating, “Leaking was not worth it.” He acknowledged the damage done to his career and professional relationships, calling it a “profound and expensive mistake.”
“I spent nearly eight years as a software engineer at Apple. During that time, I was given access to sensitive internal Apple information, including what were then unreleased products and features. But instead of keeping this information secret, I made the mistake of sharing this information with journalists who covered the company. I did not realize it at the time, but this turned out to be a profound and expensive mistake. Hundreds of professional relationships I had spent years building were ruined. And my otherwise successful career as a software engineer was derailed, and it will likely be very difficult to rebuild it. Leaking was not worth it. I sincerely apologize to my former colleagues who not only worked tirelessly on projects for Apple, but work hard to keep them secret. They deserved better,” he wrote on X.
Aude was accused of releasing company secrets to a journalist from The Wall Street Journal. The publication around the same time published a news report on Journal app which wasn’t released then.
Apple’s history of legal battles over leaks
This isn’t the first time Apple has pursued legal action over leaks. The company has a long-standing reputation for aggressively protecting its trade secrets. In the past, Apple has taken legal steps against employees, supply chain workers, and even bloggers who have exposed unreleased products or internal policies.
In 2021, Apple filed a case against Simon Lancaster, a former design architect, accusing him of stealing company’s sensitive trade secrets and sharing them with a reporter. The lawsuit was filed in March 2021 and then settled by the company 2022.
