Former Intel engineer admits he stole secrets on way to Microsoft
Intel and one of its former engineers have reached a settlement regarding thousands of stolen documents with confidential information.
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What you need to know
Former Intel engineer Varun Gupta settled with Intel regarding the theft of thousands of confidential documents. Gupta worked for Intel for 10 years but left for Microsoft in January 2020. In February of this year,Intel accused him of stealing trade secretsbefore he left for a job at Microsoft. Now, Gupta has admitted his wrongdoing and settled with Intel.
Gupta was accused of taking almost 3,900 documents, which included trade secrets related to Intel’s pricing structure and strategies of its Xeon processors. An investigation by Intel and Microsoft claimed that Gupta downloaded the documents and accessed them multiple times during his employment at Microsoft. Intel’s lawsuit claimed that the documents gave Microsoft an unfair advantage in negotiating the prices of processors.
Oregon Live reportsthat Gupta has since acknowledged taking documents from Intel before leaving for Microsoft. He has reportedly agreed to “a confidential settlement payment” to Intel.
The amount of the settlement has not been disclosed, but if Gupta violates its terms, he’ll have to pay at least $100,000 as a penalty.
Gupta’s attorney, Courtney Angeli, said that Gupta was not available for comment. Angeli also did not respond regarding if Gupta is still employed by Microsoft.
Microsoft did not respond to questions regarding Gupta’s employment with the company, though it did assist in Intel’s investigation for the case.
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Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He’s covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean’s journey began with the Lumia 740, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_.
