According to the filing, Lipnik has been fired from Apple “for failing to follow Apple’s policies designed to protect its confidential information, including development devices and unreleased software and features.” The filing also accuses Lipnik of failing to report “multiple prior breaches” to Apple.
When you sign an NDA (non-disclosure agreement), you’d best protect the secrets. Then again, the guy who left an iPhone 4 in a bar didn’t lose his job. Wonder what the differences are between them.
This time it was a willful and intentional leak (at least if you believe the article’s version of the events), whereas the guy who left the prototype at the bar was a complete accident. It’s not surprising to me that Apple would fire someone who intentionally leaked something. As for the guy who left the phone at the bar, I guess it depends on how careless and negligent you think that was.