Apple sues ex-employee: Apple Watch trade secrets given to Oppo?
Chen S. is said to have first worked at Apple and then at Oppo. According to Apple, he allegedly took important documents with him there.
Older phone from Oppo: The brand has had some top devices in recent years.
(Image: Framesira/Shutterstock.com)
More trouble over leaked trade secrets at Apple: after several lawsuits over leaks to journalists, the iPhone manufacturer is now suing an ex-employee who allegedly leaked internal information about the Apple Watch to Chinese competitor Oppo. According to a Macrumors report, the lawsuit was filed on Friday in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California (Case No. 5:25-CV-7105). Chen S. worked as a "highly paid sensor system architect" on the computer watch's sensor technology. He stayed in Cupertino from January 2020 to June 2025, but then went to Oppo in China. According to Apple, S. had access to "valuable trade secret information", including Apple Watch design, developer documents, internal specifications and a product roadmap.
Allegedly took data and searched for deletion tips
According to the lawsuit, which is directed against S. personally, Oppo and the company Innopeak Technology, the employee allegedly stated that he had to take care of his elderly parents in his former home country of China. However, he then accepted the new position at Oppo without informing the company. Before his departure, S. allegedly collected "sensitive Apple Watch documents" and had "dozens" of individual meetings with the Apple Watch technical team to "get to know" current projects in the area of research and development. Three days before leaving work, S. then downloaded 63 files from Apple's protected Box folder and transferred them to a USB device.
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According to Apple, he then searched for a way to delete his MacBook. He also wanted to find out whether it was possible for someone to see when he had opened a file on a shared drive. S. is also said to have written to his new Oppo bosses that he would collect "as much information as possible" to share with them. This was particularly about heart rate sensor technology. S. now heads the development team for new sensors at Oppo.
Oppo sees "no evidence", wants to cooperate in the lawsuit
Apple wants to use the lawsuit to ensure that neither Oppo nor S. are allowed to use or disclose Apple trade secrets. It is also seeking restitution from S., damages, penalties and attorneys' fees. Oppo told Macrumors that it was aware of the lawsuit in California and had "carefully studied" the allegations. It had "found no evidence to support a connection between these allegations and the employee's conduct during his employment with Oppo".
Oppo respects the trade secrets of "all companies, including Apple". It has not misused trade secrets and will "actively cooperate in this legal process" and "set the facts straight". Oppo was founded almost 20 years ago and is based in Shenzhen. Smartphones from the "Find" model series have been offered since 2011.
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