Apple’s Autonomous Car Project Faces a New Leak Threat
A fresh court filing has named Jizhong Chen, a former Apple engineer, for snatching secrets from the company’s hush‑hush self‑driving car program. The allegations hit hard, carrying up to ten years behind bars and a hefty $250,000 fine (about S$340,000) for the culprit.
How it All Began
After arriving at Apple in June last year, Chen joined a tight‑knit hardware design squad working on a stealthy autonomous vehicle. He was among the 1,200 “core” staff who could step into the very building where the project was under wraps. To keep everything under lock and key, Apple even ran a special “secrecy training” for him—apparently a warning that you couldn’t even show the latest designs to your in-laws.
The First Red Flag
In December, Apple shuffled Chen into the boardroom for a performance review. Oddly enough, a coworker spotted him snapping covert photos of the car project by the next month— a move that raised eyebrows and, eventually, triggered a full internal probe.
What the Probe Found
- Chen copied more than 2,000 files—schematics, manuals, diagrams—onto a personal computer.
- He claimed it was an “insurance policy” in case his improvement plan led to a layoff, but the pictures date back to June.
- Apple suspended him, and the findings were handed over to the FBI.
“So‑called Job Security” or a Head‑in‑The‑Cloud Swipe?
The suspect, who had lined up a spot at an autonomous‑car startup in China—he even had a flight booked for the next day—had seemingly planned the escape during a clandestine job transfer. Coincidentally, Apple had previously charged Xiaolang Zhang in July last year for a similar IR‑leak, but the filings state the two cases are unrelated.
Apple’s Response
Despite the turmoil, Apple quietly announced it has trimmed its autonomous car team but remains truly devoted to pushing the technology forward. One thing’s for sure: stealing trade secrets doesn’t help anyone, even if you’re eyeing a new opportunity in Shenzhen.
Stay tuned—these developments could reshape the future of AI‑driven cars, or it could just mean another chapter of corporate espionage drama.
