Apple Drops Suit Against Ex-Chip Exec Williams Who Started Nuvia

Apple Inc. dropped its lawsuit against a former chip executive the company sued for allegedly poaching its employees for a startup.

(Bloomberg) — Apple Inc. dropped its lawsuit against a former chip executive the company sued for allegedly poaching its employees for a startup.

Gerard Williams III left his job as lead chip architect at Apple in 2019 and co-founded Nuvia Inc. In response to Apple’s complaint, Williams filed his own claiming Apple tried to stop his firm from hiring its engineers while simultaneously recruiting staff from Nuvia.

Apple’s request to dismiss the case was filed this week in state court in San Jose, California. The filing doesn’t explain why the suit was dropped.

Williams had failed to persuade a judge to dismiss Apple’s complaint accusing him of using company resources to create an idea for Nuvia in violation of a contract.

Apple didn’t immediately respond to an email late Friday seeking comment.

The case is Apple Inc. v. Williams III, 19-cv-352866, California Superior Court, Santa Clara County (San Jose).

–With assistance from Mark Gurman.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com