Apple suddenly exposed a major leak.
According to the latest documents released by the Santa Clara County High Court in California, Apple has recently sued a former employee named Andrew Aude, accusing him of leaking sensitive information to the media and other technology companies, violating company confidentiality agreements and labor laws. Apple is seeking compensation for losses exceeding $25000.
In 2016, Aude joined Apple as an iOS software engineer shortly after graduating from college. The lawsuit states that due to Aude's responsibility for optimizing battery performance, he was able to "access information on dozens of Apple's most sensitive projects.".
The lawsuit states that confidential information leaked by Aude over the past five years includes at least six Apple products, including the then undisclosed hybrid reality headset Vision Pro, Apple's product development policies, regulatory compliance strategies, and changes in the number of employees in various departments.
According to Apple, Aude used the company's distributed work iPhone to send over 1400 messages to a journalist from The Wall Street Journal called "Homeboy" through the encrypted messaging app "Signal", and also sent up to 10000 text messages to another journalist from The Infomation, a technology media outlet in Silicon Valley, specifically to meet. Due to Aude frequently taking screenshots of his communication with media reporters on his work iPhone, Apple is able to retrieve these contents.
Apple stated that it only learned about Aude's leak behavior at the end of 2023 and dismissed him in December of the same year on suspicion of misconduct. The company also wrote that Aude admitted to violating employee obligations during a leak incident, but explained that he wanted to "terminate the products and features he opposed" through this means.
Apple claims that Aude poses a "persistent threat" to the company, stating that "his disclosure hinders Apple's ability to bring surprises and joy with new products." In court documents, Apple filed a claim for damages and demanded the confiscation of Aude's bonuses and equity. It is worth mentioning that after catching Aude, the "insider", Apple's leak phenomenon seems to have not ended.
According to Beijing Business Daily, after giving up on car manufacturing, Apple seems to have shifted its focus. On April 3rd Eastern Time, well-known Apple whistleblower Mark Gurman wrote an article stating that multiple teams at Apple are researching and advancing home robotics technology, which has the potential to become one of Apple's constantly changing "next big things".
It is reported that Apple engineers are developing a mobile robot that can follow users around the house. In addition, Apple has developed an advanced desktop home device that uses robots to move the display screen around.
Although the project is still in its early stages and there is no accurate news on whether it can be implemented, industry analysis suggests that with the rapid development of artificial intelligence, robots have become a practical AI application, and many requirements have been validated. Some even believe that humanoid robots may be the ultimate form of AI. As a technology company, it is natural for Apple to choose home robots that are closely integrated with AI as the new track.
According to a report by brokerage firm China, Wall Street seems to be not optimistic about Apple's new project. Dan Ives, a renowned strategist at the US investment bank Wedbush, said that Apple's entry into the home robotics industry could ultimately be another major blow to the company.
Other strategists on Wall Street also expressed doubts about Apple's robot development. Gene Munster, a well-known technology analyst and executive partner at Deepwater Asset Management, said, "I fully agree that Apple will launch a small 'Skunkworks' program to delve deeper into home automation. However, I believe that the likelihood of seeing a new product in the next five years is very small, even zero."
At the market level, funds are continuously selling off Apple's stock, and the cumulative decline in Apple's stock price this year has reached 11.8%. The total market value has evaporated by over 350 billion US dollars (approximately RMB 250 billion), significantly underperforming the US stock market during the same period.
Daily Economic News Comprehensive Beijing Business Daily, Securities China
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