Mexican Media Brands
Ex-Apple Engineer Arrested for Stealing Autonomous-Car Files
A former hardware engineer at Apple Inc. has been charged with stealing details about the company’s autonomous car project and attempting to flee with them to China.
#legal
Share
A former hardware engineer at Apple Inc. has been charged with stealing details about the company’s autonomous car project and attempting to flee with them to China.
Xiaolang Zhang was arrested last week in San Jose, Calif., as he prepared to board a plane to China. He told Apple in April he was moving back to China to work for Guangzhou Xiaopeng Motors Technology Co.(Xpeng Motors). The electric-car startup launched production of its first model, the G3 sporty crossover vehicle, in April.
Zhang admitted to the FBI that he downloaded files about Apple’s secretive self-driving-car technology to his wife’s laptop. The complaint against him says Apple grew suspicious because of his visits to his Apple office and increased network activity before he resigned.
Prosecutors say Zhang downloaded engineering drawings, technical manuals and other materials from several confidential databases.
RELATED CONTENT
-
The Law and Autonomous Cars
Features that enable your car to drive itself are coming to market now, but regulations to govern their performance have lagged, notes Jennifer Dukarski, an attorney with the Butzel Long law firm.
-
China Prepares to Sanction U.S. Carmaker for Price Fixing
China is preparing to fine an undisclosed U.S. carmaker for ordering its distributors to fix prices beginning in 2014, according to China Daily. Media reports say General Motors Co. is the target.
-
Report: Ghosn Kept List of Hidden Compensation
Japanese prosecutors have found a list apparently created by former Nissan Motor Co. Chairman Carlos Ghosn that charts compensation the company didn’t report but he expected to receive, The Nikkei says.
