News Summary

Apple has filed a lawsuit against former employee Dr. Cheng Shi, Chinese phone maker Oppo, and California-based Innopeak, alleging the theft of trade secrets related to the Apple Watch. Dr. Shi, who worked at Apple from 2020 to June 2025, is accused of downloading 63 confidential documents before leaving Apple to join Oppo’s U.S. office, where he leads a team developing sensing technology. The lawsuit claims Shi conspired with Oppo’s senior leadership to access and share sensitive information, including unreleased product details and custom processor data. Apple also highlighted Shi’s unusual scheduling of 33 meetings in his final month at Apple, compared to just seven the previous year, and his misleading statements about his future plans.