Former Apple Engineer Pleads Guilty to Stealing Apple Car Secrets
Former Apple employee Xiaolang Zhang today pleaded guilty to theft of trade secrets, which could get him up to ten years in prison, reports CNBC. Zhang was first hired by Apple in December 2015 to work on Project Titan, developing software and hardware for autonomous vehicles.
As part of the Compute Team, Zhang designed and tested circuit boards to analyze sensor data, and he was given access to Apple's secure and confidential internal databases. In April 2018, Zhang left Apple for Chinese startup XMotors, and shortly after, Apple found that he had stolen sensitive Apple Car development data and hardware.
In July 2018, the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation charged Zhang with theft of trade secrets, and he was arrested shortly after for attempting to leave the country. Zhang this week took a plea bargain, which is under seal with the U.S. government.
Along with up to 10 years in prison, Zhang could have to pay up to $250,000 in fines. Sentencing is scheduled for November 14.
Popular Stories
MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris has uncovered an image file from Apple for an unreleased Apple TV 4K, suggesting that a new model will finally be released soon. The image is specifically for an "Apple TV 4K (4th generation)" model.
Apple TV 4K (4th generation) image (on a gradient)
The image reveals that the Apple TV will have the same external design as the current model, with all of its...
The next iPad mini, HomePod mini, and Apple TV 4K models have all leaked, just a few weeks before the devices are expected to be announced. Specifically, MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris discovered a few of Apple's official images of the devices, confirming their existence and some new features that are planned.
The most notable iPad mini details revealed in today's leak include an A20 Pro ...
Apple's new HomePod mini will share the same design as the original model and come in five colors, MacRumors has found.
The information originates from Apple's own code (spotted by MacRumors contributor Aaron Perris) and shows clear product images of the new models in all of their colors. The above image contains Apple's own icons, which specifically refer to a "HomePod mini 2."
The new...
