Apple sues ex-employee over alleged leaked secrets to media

Apple claims Lancaster worked closely with his media source starting in late 2018 and into 2019, saying that they coordinated to steal specific documents and product details and sometimes met in person to exchange the information. — AFP

Apple Inc sued a former employee who worked at the company for more than a decade, claiming he shared its trade secrets with a media contact in exchange for favourable coverage of a startup he invested in.

Simon Lancaster is accused of serving as the reporter’s source of information, a role that allegedly deepened after he left Apple, and of sharing closely guarded details of unreleased hardware, unannounced feature changes and future product announcements, according to the complaint filed Thursday in federal court in San Jose, California.