The company is Arris Composites. What they do might just be revolutionary and incorporated heavily into the design of an Apple car.
Tesla is creating mega castings using a proprietary aluminum alloy they designed to be able to be rapidly injected and cooled without forming stresses. This is what allows Tesla to create the entire rear end of the Model Y frame as a single piece, replacing 70 pieces that represent the Model 3 rear frame assembly. This not only reduces 69 components that have to be designed, sourced and assembled, but it creates a rear frame assembly that is ultra precise, meaning the addition of body panels is that much more precise, resulting in a higher quality vehicle that’s cheaper to manufacture in less manufacturing space with fewer robots and employees. A win all around.
Arris has developed a process that combines the efficiency and precision of injection modeling with the materials and structure of carbon fiber.
The result is a part that could be structurally equivalent to Tesla’s Model Y single piece cast rear frame section, but with even lower weight and potentially higher strength, than Tesla’s aluminum alloy. Certainly lower weight. I can imagine Apple is looking at everything Tesla has been doing and thinking, can we do even better?
Here’s the Yahoo Finance private company detail page on Arris Composites, showing Simon Lancaster in his role there...
My guess is this lawsuit will be settled with some accommodation to Apple that doesn’t end Lancaster’s career. The two companies will continue to work together and all will be put behind them.
But doesn’t this make you a bit more anxious for an eventual Apple vehicle reveal?
That is not necessarily the startup that he wanted to benefit with news coverage. Reading his bio it seems that he invested in several startups.
Maybe, but it’s more likely it’s the company he then joined, Arris, that’s being described as ‘his new company.’
“The suit also alleges that Lancaster traded the information for benefits, including positive coverage of his new company.”
It’s true that he could have invested in some other startups, but it’s doubtful Apple would refer to Arris in this context if it were another startup he sought to benefit with positive coverage. Looks very much like it’s Arris, the company he actually joined after leaving Apple, that he sought positive coverage for. It’s possible that’s not the case, but not very probable.
Edit: I just saw this reference in another article about the dust up...
”Apple accuses Lancaster of misappropriating portions of trade secret information which are directly related to his new employer, a former vendor for Apple.”
If this site and its users really cared about the well being of Apple, it would stop publishing rumors immediately. CNBC breaks out a list of the damages sites like this pose to Apple, including destroying morale on Apple teams and hurting current sales and diminishing customer delight at product reveals. Do you really love Apple or love the money that can be made exploiting Apple’s secrets?
This guy has all sort of stupid written all over him.
He should at least read Tom Clancy before trying to play spie. /s. (I tried to insert an emoji, using iPhone keyboard, but it didn’t work).
he has basically made himself unemployable as no reasonable company will trust him.
It’s worse than that – it means any company that works with Arris might have their IP misused/stolen. He doesn’t just sink his own career who sinks the entire start-up.
Huh? I don't see anything here that suggests Arris had any knowledge or complicity in this. Moreover, none of this occurred while he was employed at Arris.
The company is Arris Composites. What they do might just be revolutionary and incorporated heavily into the design of an Apple car.
Tesla is creating mega castings using a proprietary aluminum alloy they designed to be able to be rapidly injected and cooled without forming stresses. This is what allows Tesla to create the entire rear end of the Model Y frame as a single piece, replacing 70 pieces that represent the Model 3 rear frame assembly. This not only reduces 69 components that have to be designed, sourced and assembled, but it creates a rear frame assembly that is ultra precise, meaning the addition of body panels is that much more precise, resulting in a higher quality vehicle that’s cheaper to manufacture in less manufacturing space with fewer robots and employees. A win all around.
Arris has developed a process that combines the efficiency and precision of injection modeling with the materials and structure of carbon fiber.
The result is a part that could be structurally equivalent to Tesla’s Model Y single piece cast rear frame section, but with even lower weight and potentially higher strength, than Tesla’s aluminum alloy. Certainly lower weight. I can imagine Apple is looking at everything Tesla has been doing and thinking, can we do even better?
Here’s the Yahoo Finance private company detail page on Arris Composites, showing Simon Lancaster in his role there...
My guess is this lawsuit will be settled with some accommodation to Apple that doesn’t end Lancaster’s career. The two companies will continue to work together and all will be put behind them.
But doesn’t this make you a bit more anxious for an eventual Apple vehicle reveal?
That is not necessarily the startup that he wanted to benefit with news coverage. Reading his bio it seems that he invested in several startups.
Maybe, but it’s more likely it’s the company he then joined, Arris, that’s being described as ‘his new company.’
“The suit also alleges that Lancaster traded the information for benefits, including positive coverage of his new company.”
It’s true that he could have invested in some other startups, but it’s doubtful Apple would refer to Arris in this context if it were another startup he sought to benefit with positive coverage. Looks very much like it’s Arris, the company he actually joined after leaving Apple, that he sought positive coverage for. It’s possible that’s not the case, but not very probable.
Edit: I just saw this reference in another article about the dust up...
”Apple accuses Lancaster of misappropriating portions of trade secret information which are directly related to his new employer, a former vendor for Apple.”
The lawsuit states that "Lancaster communicated to a third party that the Correspondent had committed to publishing an article about Lancaster’s startup if it obtained $1 million in funding." Arris not "Lancaster's startup," and there are no published news articles about Lancaster around this time period.
What likely occurred is his attempts to fund a startup fizzed, and he instead joined Arris. But Arris was not the company he sought positive news coverage for (nor would that make any sense since it's not his startup and he would gain nothing from such a news article). The only connection between Arris and the litigation is that Arris appears to be a current vendor, which puts Lancaster in a position to continue stealing trade secrets.
I agree but payment in this case was the information in exchange for good coverage for his new business. “Pay for play”. That gets you fired in the news business.
The correspondent and the publisher also are totally culpable in seeking, rewarding and distributing this clearly unethical breach.
The company is Arris Composites. What they do might just be revolutionary and incorporated heavily into the design of an Apple car.
Tesla is creating mega castings using a proprietary aluminum alloy they designed to be able to be rapidly injected and cooled without forming stresses. This is what allows Tesla to create the entire rear end of the Model Y frame as a single piece, replacing 70 pieces that represent the Model 3 rear frame assembly. This not only reduces 69 components that have to be designed, sourced and assembled, but it creates a rear frame assembly that is ultra precise, meaning the addition of body panels is that much more precise, resulting in a higher quality vehicle that’s cheaper to manufacture in less manufacturing space with fewer robots and employees. A win all around.
Arris has developed a process that combines the efficiency and precision of injection modeling with the materials and structure of carbon fiber.
The result is a part that could be structurally equivalent to Tesla’s Model Y single piece cast rear frame section, but with even lower weight and potentially higher strength, than Tesla’s aluminum alloy. Certainly lower weight. I can imagine Apple is looking at everything Tesla has been doing and thinking, can we do even better?
Here’s the Yahoo Finance private company detail page on Arris Composites, showing Simon Lancaster in his role there...
My guess is this lawsuit will be settled with some accommodation to Apple that doesn’t end Lancaster’s career. The two companies will continue to work together and all will be put behind them.
But doesn’t this make you a bit more anxious for an eventual Apple vehicle reveal?
That is not necessarily the startup that he wanted to benefit with news coverage. Reading his bio it seems that he invested in several startups.
Maybe, but it’s more likely it’s the company he then joined, Arris, that’s being described as ‘his new company.’
“The suit also alleges that Lancaster traded the information for benefits, including positive coverage of his new company.”
It’s true that he could have invested in some other startups, but it’s doubtful Apple would refer to Arris in this context if it were another startup he sought to benefit with positive coverage. Looks very much like it’s Arris, the company he actually joined after leaving Apple, that he sought positive coverage for. It’s possible that’s not the case, but not very probable.
Edit: I just saw this reference in another article about the dust up...
”Apple accuses Lancaster of misappropriating portions of trade secret information which are directly related to his new employer, a former vendor for Apple.”
there is nothing that makes it likely since you don’t even know if he invested in Arris Composites. He is an employee at Arris Composites - not a founder. And if you look at his investor profile, it doesn’t mention Arris Composites as one of his investments. Considering that Apple accuses him of several different breaches and with different objectives, his situation at Arris Composites is just another detail in the pile of accusations.
I was under 2 NDAs with Apple for external research, including some prototypes, working with students who were under 18 and could not sign a contract. That was fun. Our project manager flew out for a site visit, and the woman with Nordstrom's next to him struck up a conversation about careers, and asked more and more questions about his work, digging a little more each time. He briefly wondered if she would grok or remember if he talked about the exact details, but ultimately decided against it. When they got off the plane she handed him her card - IP attorney - told him he passed the test with flying colors.
Leaking secrets about AirPod Max and Apple Glass doesn't hurt the product. Apple giving them ridiculous prices takes care of that. Rumored AR glasses are expected to be $3,000. But the guy is not too bright to think that Apple would not know what documents are moving across their server, and the person requesting the files.
The company is Arris Composites. What they do might just be revolutionary and incorporated heavily into the design of an Apple car.
Tesla is creating mega castings using a proprietary aluminum alloy they designed to be able to be rapidly injected and cooled without forming stresses. This is what allows Tesla to create the entire rear end of the Model Y frame as a single piece, replacing 70 pieces that represent the Model 3 rear frame assembly. This not only reduces 69 components that have to be designed, sourced and assembled, but it creates a rear frame assembly that is ultra precise, meaning the addition of body panels is that much more precise, resulting in a higher quality vehicle that’s cheaper to manufacture in less manufacturing space with fewer robots and employees. A win all around.
Arris has developed a process that combines the efficiency and precision of injection modeling with the materials and structure of carbon fiber.
The result is a part that could be structurally equivalent to Tesla’s Model Y single piece cast rear frame section, but with even lower weight and potentially higher strength, than Tesla’s aluminum alloy. Certainly lower weight. I can imagine Apple is looking at everything Tesla has been doing and thinking, can we do even better?
Here’s the Yahoo Finance private company detail page on Arris Composites, showing Simon Lancaster in his role there...
My guess is this lawsuit will be settled with some accommodation to Apple that doesn’t end Lancaster’s career. The two companies will continue to work together and all will be put behind them.
But doesn’t this make you a bit more anxious for an eventual Apple vehicle reveal?
That is not necessarily the startup that he wanted to benefit with news coverage. Reading his bio it seems that he invested in several startups.
Maybe, but it’s more likely it’s the company he then joined, Arris, that’s being described as ‘his new company.’
“The suit also alleges that Lancaster traded the information for benefits, including positive coverage of his new company.”
It’s true that he could have invested in some other startups, but it’s doubtful Apple would refer to Arris in this context if it were another startup he sought to benefit with positive coverage. Looks very much like it’s Arris, the company he actually joined after leaving Apple, that he sought positive coverage for. It’s possible that’s not the case, but not very probable.
Edit: I just saw this reference in another article about the dust up...
”Apple accuses Lancaster of misappropriating portions of trade secret information which are directly related to his new employer, a former vendor for Apple.”
there is nothing that makes it likely since you don’t even know if he invested in Arris Composites. He is an employee at Arris Composites - not a founder. And if you look at his investor profile, it doesn’t mention Arris Composites as one of his investments. Considering that Apple accuses him of several different breaches and with different objectives, his situation at Arris Composites is just another detail in the pile of accusations.
The company is Arris Composites. What they do might just be revolutionary and incorporated heavily into the design of an Apple car.
Tesla is creating mega castings using a proprietary aluminum alloy they designed to be able to be rapidly injected and cooled without forming stresses. This is what allows Tesla to create the entire rear end of the Model Y frame as a single piece, replacing 70 pieces that represent the Model 3 rear frame assembly. This not only reduces 69 components that have to be designed, sourced and assembled, but it creates a rear frame assembly that is ultra precise, meaning the addition of body panels is that much more precise, resulting in a higher quality vehicle that’s cheaper to manufacture in less manufacturing space with fewer robots and employees. A win all around.
Arris has developed a process that combines the efficiency and precision of injection modeling with the materials and structure of carbon fiber.
The result is a part that could be structurally equivalent to Tesla’s Model Y single piece cast rear frame section, but with even lower weight and potentially higher strength, than Tesla’s aluminum alloy. Certainly lower weight. I can imagine Apple is looking at everything Tesla has been doing and thinking, can we do even better?
Here’s the Yahoo Finance private company detail page on Arris Composites, showing Simon Lancaster in his role there...
My guess is this lawsuit will be settled with some accommodation to Apple that doesn’t end Lancaster’s career. The two companies will continue to work together and all will be put behind them.
But doesn’t this make you a bit more anxious for an eventual Apple vehicle reveal?
That is not necessarily the startup that he wanted to benefit with news coverage. Reading his bio it seems that he invested in several startups.
Maybe, but it’s more likely it’s the company he then joined, Arris, that’s being described as ‘his new company.’
“The suit also alleges that Lancaster traded the information for benefits, including positive coverage of his new company.”
It’s true that he could have invested in some other startups, but it’s doubtful Apple would refer to Arris in this context if it were another startup he sought to benefit with positive coverage. Looks very much like it’s Arris, the company he actually joined after leaving Apple, that he sought positive coverage for. It’s possible that’s not the case, but not very probable.
Edit: I just saw this reference in another article about the dust up...
”Apple accuses Lancaster of misappropriating portions of trade secret information which are directly related to his new employer, a former vendor for Apple.”
The lawsuit states that "Lancaster communicated to a third party that the Correspondent had committed to publishing an article about Lancaster’s startup if it obtained $1 million in funding." Arris not "Lancaster's startup," and there are no published news articles about Lancaster around this time period.
What likely occurred is his attempts to fund a startup fizzed, and he instead joined Arris. But Arris was not the company he sought positive news coverage for (nor would that make any sense since it's not his startup and he would gain nothing from such a news article). The only connection between Arris and the litigation is that Arris appears to be a current vendor, which puts Lancaster in a position to continue stealing trade secrets.
From the lawsuit:
” November 1, 2019 was Lancaster’s final day of employment at Apple and his credentials to log into the secure Apple corporate network were set to expire at midnight. But at 10:24 p.m. that same day, Lancaster used his credentials to log onto Apple’s secure corporate network from a location outside Apple facilities. On information and belief, Lancaster used this access to download additional SAI before his login credentials expired. In particular, Lancaster downloaded confidential information that would assist his new employer.”
Comments
he then joined, Arris, that’s being described as ‘his new company.’
“The suit also alleges that Lancaster traded the information for benefits, including positive coverage of his new company.”
”Apple accuses Lancaster of misappropriating portions of trade secret information which are directly related to his new employer, a former vendor for Apple.”
What likely occurred is his attempts to fund a startup fizzed, and he instead joined Arris. But Arris was not the company he sought positive news coverage for (nor would that make any sense since it's not his startup and he would gain nothing from such a news article). The only connection between Arris and the litigation is that Arris appears to be a current vendor, which puts Lancaster in a position to continue stealing trade secrets.
And if you look at his investor profile, it doesn’t mention Arris Composites as one of his investments.
Considering that Apple accuses him of several different breaches and with different objectives, his situation at Arris Composites is just another detail in the pile of accusations.
https://daringfireball.net/linked/2021/03/11/apple-sues-former-employee-for-leaking
This guy makes The Zuck look like a choirboy. Sure Zucky isn't to be trusted with your personal info, but that's a far cry from corporate espionage.
Seems? FFS, ya think??
” November 1, 2019 was Lancaster’s final day of employment at Apple and his credentials to log into the secure Apple corporate network were set to expire at midnight. But at 10:24 p.m. that same day, Lancaster used his credentials to log onto Apple’s secure corporate network from a location outside Apple facilities. On information and belief, Lancaster used this access to download additional SAI before his login credentials expired. In particular, Lancaster downloaded confidential information that would assist his new employer.”