Apple has filed a lawsuit accusing Chinese smartphone giant Oppo and its Silicon Valley affiliate of stealing Apple Watch trade secrets through a former employee.
Quick Summary – TLDR:
- Apple claims ex-employee Chen Shi downloaded 63 confidential files before leaving to join Oppo.
- The files reportedly contained sensitive Apple Watch and custom chip development data.
- Shi allegedly misled Apple about his departure, claiming he was returning to China for personal reasons.
- Oppo denies wrongdoing and says it will cooperate with legal proceedings.
What Happened?
Apple has filed a lawsuit in federal court accusing former employee Dr. Chen Shi of stealing confidential Apple Watch technology before taking a new job at Oppo, a major Chinese smartphone brand. According to the complaint, Shi downloaded sensitive files and misled his team about his intentions, allegedly feeding key research to his new employer. Oppo has denied any misconduct and plans to cooperate with the court.
Apple Claims Oppo Stole Trade Secrets Through Poached Engineer
Apple filed a lawsuit last week in the Northern District of California targeting its former employee Dr. Chen Shi and his new employers Oppo and Innopeak. The lawsuit alleges that Shi stole trade secrets and gave Oppo an unfair head start in developing competing wearable technologies.
Aug 21: In a lawsuit filed in federal court in San Jose, Apple accuses smartphone maker 🇨🇳 Guangdong Oppo Mobile Telecommunications Corp Ltd (“OPPO”) and its US research center InnoPeak Technology, Inc (“InnoPeak”) of poaching sensor system architect Chen Shi — a highly… pic.twitter.com/IpZmOJN4Zs
— Byron Wan (@Byron_Wan) August 24, 2025
Shi worked at Apple from January 2020 to June 2025 as a sensor system architect on the Apple Watch team. Apple claims he had direct access to confidential data, design specs, and technology roadmaps for Apple’s health sensor technology, including ECG and temperature sensors.
Just days before leaving the company, Apple says Shi downloaded 63 confidential files from a secure employee drive to a USB device. These documents reportedly contained not only sensor data but also technical information related to Apple’s custom chips, including its AI chip development.
Adding to the suspicion, Apple claims Shi searched for terms like “how to wipe out macbook” and “can somebody see if I’ve opened a file on a shared drive?” before making the transfer.
Secret Meetings and Deceptive Exit
Apple alleges that Shi scheduled 33 one-on-one meetings in the final month before his departure, significantly more than his usual average of seven per month. Many of these meetings, Apple says, covered projects he wasn’t directly involved with, raising concerns he was harvesting data.
In internal messages included in the lawsuit, Shi reportedly wrote to an Oppo executive, “I’ve also been reviewing various internal materials and doing a lot of 1:1 meetings in an effort to collect as much information as possible – will share with you all later.” The executive responded with an “OK” emoji.
Despite these activities, Shi told Apple colleagues he was returning to China to care for elderly parents and had no plans to take a new job. However, he joined Oppo’s Silicon Valley research unit shortly after, which operates under the names Oppo and Innopeak.
Oppo Responds to the Allegations
In response to the lawsuit, Oppo issued a statement denying the allegations and affirming their commitment to respecting trade secrets.
“We have found no evidence establishing any connection between these allegations and the employee’s conduct during his employment at Oppo,” the company said in a statement to Android Authority.
Oppo further added that it will “actively cooperate with the legal process” and is confident that a fair judicial review will resolve the matter.
Apple’s Legal History With Trade Secret Disputes
Apple has a history of aggressively protecting its intellectual property. In recent years, the company has sued former employees tied to its now-abandoned self-driving car project and has been in an ongoing legal fight with Masimo over smartwatch technology.
This case adds to Apple’s growing concern over technology leaks and IP theft, especially involving competitors in China. Apple’s lawsuit seeks a court injunction to prevent Oppo from using the allegedly stolen information, along with unspecified financial damages.
SQ Magazine’s Takeaway
Honestly, this is a bold move from Apple but not surprising. When you’ve invested billions into making the Apple Watch the leading wearable, protecting that edge is non-negotiable. If what Apple claims is true, this wasn’t just a slip up. This was a calculated extraction of sensitive research. And if Oppo was knowingly involved, then it’s not just about one employee, it’s about trust, competition, and the price of innovation. I’ll be watching this case closely because its outcome could set a major precedent for how tech giants protect their crown jewels.
