Former Apple engineer Xiaolang Zhang pleads guilty to stealing trade secrets
Earlier this month, U.S. President Joe Biden signed into law the $280 billion Chip and Science Act, including $52 billion to boost domestic chip production.
This is considered an attempt to solve the prolonged shortage of semiconductor chips, competing directly with China.
On August 22, Xiaolang Zhang, a former Apple engineer, pleaded guilty to stealing trade secrets from Apple’s nascent self-driving car program.
According to Reuters, Zhang is one of 2 people charged with the crime.
U.S. federal prosecutors allege zhang downloaded a blueprint for Apple’s self-driving circuit board after intending to work for a Chinese self-driving car start-up.
According to an indictment filed in federal court in San Jose, California, in 2018, prosecutors allege Zhang downloaded files containing Apple’s proprietary information as he prepared to leave the company in April 2018 and move to guangzhou-based Xiaopeng Motors.
Zhang allegedly bought a plane ticket at the last minute and was arrested after passing through a security checkpoint at the San Jose airport.
