Apple sues former Apple Watch engineer and Oppo for health tech theft

Apple has filed a federal complaint in Northern California alleging that a former Apple Watch engineer stole confidential health-sensing technology and handed it to Oppo, a Chinese rival. The lawsuit accuses Chen Shi, who worked at Apple as a Sensor System Architect from 2020 until mid-2025, of downloading 63 documents from Apple’s secure storage just days before his resignation and transferring them to a USB drive. It also cites dozens of one-on-one meetings with Apple Watch engineers to learn about ongoing research, and an internal message in which Shi told Oppo executives he planned to collect as much information as possible to share later. Apple asks the court for remedies including an injunction to prevent further use or disclosure of its trade secrets, as well as damages, punitive awards, and attorneys’ fees.

According to the complaint, Shi had access to highly sensitive Apple Watch materials, including design and development documentation, internal specifications, and the product roadmap. Apple contends that in the weeks leading up to his departure in June, Shi participated in numerous meetings with members of the Apple Watch team while concealing his intent to join...