Apple has filed a lawsuit against Chen Shi, a former Apple Watch employee, and Oppo, alleging they conspired to steal Apple’s trade secrets, raising concerns about intellectual property protection in the tech industry.
Shi worked as a Sensor System Architect for the Apple Watch from January 2020 to June 2025. Apple claims that Shi began seeking employment with Oppo as early as April 2025 but did not disclose this to Apple. Instead, he stated that he was returning to China to care for his parents and had no plans to find a new job.
The lawsuit alleges that Shi held numerous meetings with Apple Watch team members to gather information about their work on optical, temperature, and ECG sensors. Apple further claims that Shi downloaded 63 files from a protected Apple folder and transferred them to a USB drive. Following this, he allegedly searched online for methods to wipe a Macbook and determine if file access could be tracked.
Apple also alleges that Shi communicated to his future Oppo employers his intent to “collect as much information as possible” regarding Apple’s health-sensing technologies. This alleged action is at the center of Apple’s claim that Shi and Oppo conspired to steal trade secrets.
Oppo has responded to the lawsuit, stating that they have “found no evidence establishing any connection between these allegations and the employee’s conduct during his employment at OPPO.” The company also denies misappropriating Apple’s trade secrets.
This is not the first instance of Apple pursuing legal action against former employees for alleged trade secret theft. Earlier in the summer, Apple sued a design engineer for allegedly stealing trade secrets related to the Vision Pro and sharing them with Snap.
