Another day, another high-stakes battle over trade secrets in the tech world. Apple has just launched a new lawsuit against a former employee. They accuse him of stealing sensitive information about the Apple Watch. This information, Apple claims, then landed in the hands of rival company Oppo.
Apple’s lawsuit points to Chen Shi, who used to be a sensor systems architect on the Apple Watch team. The tech giant says Shi and Oppo worked together to “steal Apple’s trade secrets.” The company suggests Shi intentionally shared these details with his new employer.
Shi worked for Apple on the Apple Watch from January 2020 until June 2025. Yet, Apple claims he was already looking for a job at Oppo by April 2025. When he left Apple, Shi apparently said he was returning to China. He told his former employer he needed to care for his elderly parents and had no plans for new work.
However, Apple’s lawsuit paints a different picture. It claims Shi met with Apple Watch team members many times before leaving. He reportedly asked about the progress on optical, temperature, and ECG sensors. These are key health-tracking features of the Apple Watch.
The lawsuit alleges Shi downloaded 63 files from a protected Apple folder. He then transferred this data to a USB stick. Afterward, he supposedly searched online for “how to erase [a] MacBook.” He also looked up “can someone see if I opened a file in a shared folder?”. Apple also claims Shi messaged his future bosses at Oppo. In the message, he stated he would “collect as much information as possible” about Apple’s health sensing technology.
Oppo has since responded to Apple’s accusations. The company says it has “not found any evidence establishing any connection between these allegations and the employee’s conduct during his employment at OPPO.” Oppo added that it has not “misappropriated Apple’s trade secrets.”
In a statement provided to MacRumors, Oppo said, “We are aware of the recent lawsuit filed by Apple in California and have carefully reviewed the allegations contained in Apple’s complaint. We have not found any evidence establishing any connection between those allegations and the employee’s conduct during his employment at OPPO.”
This isn’t the first time Apple has gone to court against former staff. Earlier this summer, the company sued a design engineer. Apple claimed he stole secrets about the Vision Pro headset. Those secrets were allegedly shared with his new employer, Snap.
Apple Says Oppo Got Secrets from Apple
Employee Claimed to Care for Elderly Parents in China
