A former Apple engineer pleaded guilty to stealing trade secrets related to Apple cars and was eventually sentenced to 120 days in jail, three years of probation and $146,984 in restitution. Xiaolang Zhang stole a 25-page self-driving car circuit board schematic in 2018. He initially pleaded not guilty, but eventually reached a plea deal with the U.S. government in 2022.

Details of the agreement are unclear, but Zhang's sentencing has been completed. Court documents show Zhang was sentenced to 120 days in jail, three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $146,984 in restitution.

Zhang originally faced up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, but federal prosecutors in California only sought one year in prison. He was a member of Apple's Project Titan, which was working on technology that might lead to an Apple car.

It was reported at the time that Zhang took parental leave from Apple and visited China during this period. When his parental leave at Apple was coming to an end, he informed the company that he would not be returning and that he planned to move to China to care for his ailing mother and work for a company called XMotors, a subsidiary of Xpeng Motors.

Apple claims to have noticed his evasive behavior before and after his departure, prompting the company's new product security team to launch an investigation. This included an investigation into his online activity and Apple devices, which he handed over when he left the company.

Zhang was arrested at San Jose International Airport while trying to board a flight to Beijing.

Zhang pleaded not guilty to the charges shortly after being charged in 2018, but eventually pleaded guilty in August 2022.