Zhang, who worked on Project Titan’s hardware and software development, was arrested in July 2018 as he attempted to board a flight to China.Authorities discovered sensitive Project Titan data, including schematics and circuit board designs, on his electronic devices. He eventually pleaded guilty to theft of trade secrets in August 2022.
Charged documents from the FBI and the U.S. attorney’s office revealed that Zhang had been employed at Apple since 2015, with his most recent role being a hardware engineer within Apple’s autonomous vehicle division.
Prosecutors argued that Zhang’s actions could have severely harmed Apple’s competitive edge in the rapidly evolving autonomous vehicle market. They presented evidence suggesting he planned to share the stolen information with a Chinese startup called XMotors.
Zhang, faced allegations of unlawfully downloading internal company files related to Apple’s car project. The files included a 25-page document containing engineering blueprints for an autonomous vehicle’s circuit board, as well as reference manuals and PDFs outlining prototype details and requirements.
How Apple found out the engineer was stealing secrets
Apple’s suspicions regarding Zhang’s alleged theft of trade secrets arose when he took paternity leave and traveled to China. Upon his return to the company, he tendered his resignation, citing intentions to relocate to China to care for his mother, as per a 2018 complaint.
During discussions with Apple, Zhang disclosed plans to join Xmotors, a prominent Chinese electric vehicle company, prompting Apple to terminate his network access. An ensuing investigation by Apple revealed that Zhang had accessed company databases and downloaded documents and information.
Further scrutiny uncovered footage from Apple’s closed-circuit cameras, capturing Zhang entering labs and removing hardware, identified as circuit boards and a Linux server, according to the complaint.
