Apple Leaker Issues Apology: 'Profound and Expensive Mistake' - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

Apple Leaker Issues Apology: 'Profound and Expensive Mistake'

Last year, we reported that Apple sued its former software engineer Andrew Aude for providing journalists with confidential information about the company's future plans, including details about the Journal app, Vision Pro headset, and more.

Apple Leak Feature
As reported by 9to5Mac, the Superior Court of Santa Clara County on Thursday dismissed the lawsuit after Apple and Aude reached an agreement to resolve this matter. The court document for the case's dismissal does not provide any specific details about the agreement, but Aude issued a public apology on the same day.

In a post on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, Aude said leaking information was a "profound and expensive mistake."

Aude's full apology:

I spent nearly eight years as a software engineer at Apple. During that time, I was given access to sensitive internal Apple information, including what were then unreleased products and features. But instead of keeping this information secret, I made the mistake of sharing this information with journalists who covered the company. I did not realize it at the time, but this turned out to be a profound and expensive mistake. Hundreds of professional relationships I had spent years building were ruined. And my otherwise successful career as a software engineer was derailed, and it will likely be very difficult to rebuild it. Leaking was not worth it. I sincerely apologize to my former colleagues who not only worked tirelessly on projects for Apple, but work hard to keep them secret. They deserved better.

Aude joined Apple in 2016, to work on optimizing battery performance, and the company fired him in 2023 after learning of his wrongful disclosures. For more details about the situation, read our previous coverage of the lawsuit.

Popular Stories

Apple Logo 16x9 US Flag Feature

Apple Subpoenas Samsung in South Korea Over DOJ Antitrust Case

Thursday April 9, 2026 4:20 am PDT by
Apple has asked a U.S. court to formally request internal Samsung documents from South Korea as part of discovery in the DOJ's ongoing antitrust lawsuit against the company. The DOJ filed suit against Apple in March 2024, alongside a number of governments, alleging the company used App Store rules, developer restrictions, and control over key iPhone features to stifle competition. After Apple...
Jon Prosser Rainbow

Jon Prosser Still Not Fully Cooperating in Apple's iOS 26 Trade Secrets Lawsuit

Tuesday April 14, 2026 6:57 am PDT by
A joint status report filed yesterday in Apple's trade secrets lawsuit against YouTuber Jon Prosser and Michael Ramacciotti shows Prosser is still failing to comply with discovery, prompting Apple to seek a court order to compel him. The latest filing, submitted to the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California yesterday, covers developments since the parties' last update in ...
app store blue banner epic 1

Epic Games Wins Reversal of Stay in App Store Fee Legal Battle

Wednesday April 29, 2026 5:05 am PDT by
Apple will not be able to delay a district court battle over fee calculations while it waits to hear whether the U.S. Supreme Court will weigh in on the latest developments in its long-running dispute with Epic Games. On Tuesday, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed an earlier decision letting Apple keep its current zero-fee link-out commission structure in place while it appeals to...

Top Rated Comments

iObama Avatar
16 months ago
Sounds like Apple wrote this, handed it to him, and said "Say this and we'll drop it." lol
Score: 58 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Bonte Avatar
16 months ago

I suppose it's easier for Apple to go after the leakers than the people (e.g. Mark Gurman, Ming-Chi Kuo, etc) who write about the leaked info.
Well, writing about it isn't against the law, leaking contractually protected company secrets is.
Score: 50 Votes (Like | Disagree)
16 months ago
Andrew Aude: “Forgive me for the harm I have caused this world. None may atone for my actions but me, and only in me shall their stain live on. I am thankful to have been caught, my fall cut short by those with wizened hands. All I can be is sorry, and that is all I am.”

Tim Cook: “I don’t think you meant it… Again.”
Score: 46 Votes (Like | Disagree)
16 months ago
It would be great if he posted a follow up tweet, 'One more thing', and then dropped one final leak
Score: 36 Votes (Like | Disagree)
DocMultimedia Avatar
16 months ago
How dumb can people be? Don't you learn to not tell secrets in kindergarten?
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)
16 months ago
Imagine ruining your own career because of a worthless journal app that people forgot soon after its release
Score: 30 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Related Apple News: Travel | News | Ipad | South Africa | Iphone