One of two workers accused of stealing trade secrets from Apple’s self-driving car programme pleaded guilty Monday.
Xiaolang Zhang allegedly downloaded Apple’s self-driving circuit board after revealing his aspirations to work for a Chinese self-driving vehicle firm and arranging a last-minute trip to China.
He was apprehended after passing through airport security.
Xpeng (NYSE:XPEV), the Chinese electric car maker Zhang joined after quitting Apple in 2018, stated on Tuesday that it had no dispute with Apple over the issue and was not involved in Zhang’s case.
According to court documents, Zhang first pleaded not guilty but amended his plea to guilty on Monday. The November sentence follows the plea bargain.
Zhang’s lawyer confirmed the plea deal but declined further comment. Apple and the DOJ didn’t immediately comment.
Former Apple engineer Jizhong Chen pleaded not guilty to trade secret theft. Aug. 29 is his court date.
