Another Former Apple Employee Charged With Stealing Car Secrets for China

[mdriftmeyer]

Is stealing vaporware really stealing? -employee asks self

Apple isn't just updating CarPlay. They're building EVs. They won't release one probably for several more years and hell they can afford to wait until solid state batteries arrive. For the next four years half of the EV vendors will go bankrupt if not more. Meanwhile, Apple will continue to refine their designs until they are ready.

Security backgrounds will continue to increase and go beyond FBI levels. The fact is, China seems to have no original ideas of their own and the more they pull this crap the more they will continue to see jobs bleed in their country as Apple continues to move manufacturing to South Korea, Vietnam, India and I imagine eventually Mexico and Brazil.

 

[Sciomar]

Oh what a shocker in a move by the Chinese.

 

[CarAnalogy]

I think for Apple's sake, maybe not hire persons who swear allegiance to another country even if their skill is an asset. Their loyalty is not to Apple, but their country and you can't really blame them either.

Kind of hard to enforce. Tech companies love H1B visas so they can import people to work for less. Many tech employees are citizens of foreign countries.

It's a double edged sword in many ways.

 

[Aston441]

I think for Apple's sake, maybe not hire persons who swear allegiance to another country even if their skill is an asset. Their loyalty is not to Apple, but their country and you can't really blame them either.

something something… Apple reaping what they sow… something

 

[8CoreWhore]

Wait, Apple has car secrets?

 

[TheLinkster]

How quickly the wheels of justice turn in this country. Also, you'd think if someone was under investigation for theft of trade secrets, instead of tipping them off by raiding their home so they could book a one-way (wang-way?) ticket back to China, you'd lure them into a false sense of security so actual prosecution could occur. But that would make too much sense.

 

[JTK Awesome]

Former Apple employee Weibao Wang was today officially charged with theft of trade secrets for stealing critical Apple Car information

 

[StrongArmmed]

The companies are in a tough spot. It's obviously the Chinese that are stealing the tech but it's hard to openly profile us without risk of discrimination lawsuits. I just read about this Chinese lady who stole soda can liner tech and it was funded by a Chinese gov fund. I'm Chinese as well and it's terrible for people like us who are trying to do the most for the companies we work without being somewhat profiled.

Yeah, I also read that article about the can liners in Bloomberg Businessweek. Industrial espionage seems to be something many "emerging" economies take advantage of. The Chinese get the press because it's the boogeyman du jour.

 

[Mr. Dee]

What guidance would you give Apple to help them "know better?"

List, say, five or six recommendations that would put Apple on the right track.

1. Stop hiring Chinese nationals to do sensitive engineering work. Let them work on mundane stuff like bug fixes for releases software.

2. India

Kind of hard to enforce. Tech companies love H1B visas so they can import people to work for less. Many tech employees are citizens of foreign countries.

It's a double edged sword in many ways.

I wouldn't broadbrush all foreigners. I'm an immigrant myself, but China needs to be a big exception thats heavily scrutinized in the hiring process. I've read too many stories on Macrumors to think differently anymore. Apple should at this point assume, every Chinese immigrant is likely gonna commit espionage. Bitten once, twice should be the case here.

Either that, or have any Chinese immigrant under strict supervision. They don't enter or leave with anything. Make a copy to Dropbox and immediate pink slip.

 

[jaceapoc]

I Can't believe someone would think this would be a Cool thing to do for Profit.

Not doing it for money, these people do it because patriotism

 

[CarAnalogy]

I wouldn't broadbrush all foreigners. I'm an immigrant myself, but China needs to be a big exception thats heavily scrutinized in the hiring process. I've read too many stories on Macrumors to think differently anymore. Apple should at this point assume, every Chinese immigrant is likely gonna commit espionage. Bitten once, twice should be the case here.

Either that, or have any Chinese immigrant under strict supervision. They don't enter or leave with anything. Make a copy to Dropbox and immediate pink slip.

Not broadbrushing foreigners or immigrants, just a system that incentivizes companies to hire foreign nationals. Actual immigrants who obtain US citizenship don't count. In this case this Chinese citizen was able to flee to China, and you don't need to be an expert in international law to know that that's the last the US will be seeing of him.

I tend to agree about China but apparently it's not so easy to just cut them off. People start yelling nationalism and racism. Which could also be true, so it's a fine line.

 

[SilenceBroken]

Not doing it for money, these people do it because patriotism

Please look again at my post and maybe you'll spot something you overlooked.

 

[jaceapoc]

Please look again at my post and maybe you'll spot something you overlooked.

Same answer

 

[Mr. Dee]

Not broadbrushing foreigners or immigrants, just a system that incentivizes companies to hire foreign nationals. Actual immigrants who obtain US citizenship don't count. In this case this Chinese citizen was able to flee to China, and you don't need to be an expert in international law to know that that's the last the US will be seeing of him.

I tend to agree about China but apparently it's not so easy to just cut them off. People start yelling nationalism and racism. Which could also be true, so it's a fine line.

I’m not saying cut them off, just don’t give them access to sensitive projects. Let them work on commerically released products or software that’s not a big deal if it’s leaked like macOS 14 or bug fixes.

 

[paulypants]

1. Stop hiring Chinese nationals to do sensitive engineering work. Let them work on mundane stuff like bug fixes for releases software.

2. India

I wouldn't broadbrush all foreigners. I'm an immigrant myself, but China needs to be a big exception thats heavily scrutinized in the hiring process. I've read too many stories on Macrumors to think differently anymore. Apple should at this point assume, every Chinese immigrant is likely gonna commit espionage. Bitten once, twice should be the case here.

Either that, or have any Chinese immigrant under strict supervision. They don't enter or leave with anything. Make a copy to Dropbox and immediate pink slip.

Couldn't agree more.

 

[shplock]

Well seeing as Apple are still nowhere near close enough to releasing a car anytime this decade and even if they ever do it will be too little too late, so I really think the Chinese are wasting their time with stealing anything from Apple here.
Also by the time Apple release the car it will;

Only be available in the US because Tim Cook hates all other countries
Only be charged via lightning cable which will break all the time
Cost a LOT more than any other EV because err Apple
Will not have Windows
Will break and then the owner will get told you are driving it wrong!

 

[shplock]

It’s not vaporware, Apple never confirmed anything

Apple may not have confirmed it but we all know they were working on a car, heck even Elon knows about it FFS lol

 

[shplock]

The companies are in a tough spot. It's obviously the Chinese that are stealing the tech but it's hard to openly profile us without risk of discrimination lawsuits. I just read about this Chinese lady who stole soda can liner tech and it was funded by a Chinese gov fund. I'm Chinese as well and it's terrible for people like us who are trying to do the most for the companies we work without being somewhat profiled.

No offence meant but why don't you tell your fellow countrymen and women to STOP stealing other nation's and company's tech an develop your own!

 

[shplock]

Just because they haven't released the product doesn't mean they don't sit on millions/billions of $ in R&D. It's their property.

Apple may have spent a lot on r&d but that does not mean they have anything to show for it plus why are they taking so so so so long to show us anything or release it?
They are seriously out their minds if they think that they will either beat Tesla which was the original goal if anyone can remember the email that was trace back to apple that said they had something that would give Tesla a run for their money.
Well about 10 years later and still waiting!
I am sorry but apple need to just either admit what they are up to and quit or release something!

 

[shplock]

So what? The cars will be assembled in China anyway so why not stay ahead of the game and be ready when the manufacturing starts?

By the time apple decide to finally announce this it will be too late, so they might as well give up

 

[shplock]

This is for the car MR readers think Apple's isn't making? Two people in jail now for imaginary product. Got it.

We think that Apple want to make a car but apple have decided that they want to take 30 years to decide if to release it and then that they will beat Tesla overnight lol

 

[shplock]

Apple isn't just updating CarPlay. They're building EVs. They won't release one probably for several more years and hell they can afford to wait until solid state batteries arrive. For the next four years half of the EV vendors will go bankrupt if not more. Meanwhile, Apple will continue to refine their designs until they are ready.

Security backgrounds will continue to increase and go beyond FBI levels. The fact is, China seems to have no original ideas of their own and the more they pull this crap the more they will continue to see jobs bleed in their country as Apple continues to move manufacturing to South Korea, Vietnam, India and I imagine eventually Mexico and Brazil.

Apple missed the boat regarding EVs as I explained many times before.
Tim Cook is a great finance guy but a LOUSEY product guy. He is no Steve Jobs and has no clue.
Apple are battling against Tesla and the Chinese so by the time they release anything there will be no market share for them to take.
Nobody is going to hold off from buying a new car for the next 10+ years until Apple finally condescend to release their car plus by the time Apple get ready Tesla will own the most market share and the next 70+% will be mostly Chinese and so there will be none left for apple.
Apple will sell some cars but not enough to justify bothering plus we all know how much Tim Cook hates other countries not called the US so it would not be for sale outside the US.
There is also the little thing called autonomy to talk about which Tesla are about to solve and with respect there is no way apple will get anywhere close enough.
All in all Apple made and are still maki too many mistakes and really should just quit

 

[Mac Fly (film)]

We think that Apple want to make a car but apple have decided that they want to take 30 years to decide if to release it and then that they will beat Tesla overnight lol

Actually many Apple fanboys online are convinced Apple is building CarPlay out into a full carOS but has no intentions to ship an actual car. I’m not sure what they imagine the thousand and possibly several thousand car engineers are doing at Apple everyday. Sitting around watch the software people work, perhaps.

“How’s that CarPlay thing going?”, one enquires.

 

[ninetyCent]

No offence meant but why don't you tell your fellow countrymen and women to STOP stealing other nation's and company's tech an develop your own!

Well I’m chinese american which makes it even worse. They wouldn’t see me as their countrymen even if I tried!

 

[ninetyCent]

Don't use the identity of Chinese to cover your discrimination.

We all learn through patterns like it or not. When you see most of these being done by the Chinese, you either real dense or real woke to say you can’t see the trend. Is it discrimination? Not really when there’s a justified pattern.