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Intel techie sentenced to two years’ probation and ₹30 lakh fine for leaking data
A former Intel engineer who stole the company’s confidential documents and shared them with Microsoft has been sentenced to two years of probation and fined over $34,000, according to The Times of India.
The sentencing was conveyed last week to Varun Gupta, who had worked at Intel for nearly ten years as a product marketing engineer.
The techie was sacked from his senior role at Microsoft after his misconduct was revealed.
What actually happened?
According to Assistant US Attorney William Narus, Gupta transferred thousands of confidential files from his Intel-issued computer to a personal hard drive before quitting the company in 2020.
TOI further reported that the techie accessed those files later on to use them while representing Microsoft in negotiations with Intel, particularly in a deal involving computer processors.
One of Gupta’s stolen documents was a PowerPoint presentation that detailed Intel’s pricing strategy with a major client.
“Not only did the defendant take proprietary materials with him, he also used those materials during negotiations against his prior employer,” Narus said in a sentencing memo, as quoted by TOI.
In the memo, Narus had sentenced Gupta to eight months in prison, reasoning it would serve as a deterrent in the high-turnover tech industry, where the misuse of confidential information is a recurring risk.
Gupta’s attorney, David Angeli, argued that his client had already faced severe consequences, including losing his high-level job at Microsoft, settling a civil lawsuit with Intel for $40,000, and suffering irreparable professional damage that had effectively ended his tech career.
In a statement to the court, Varun Gupta expressed regret for his actions, apologising to Intel, Microsoft, and the government for the time and resources spent due to his "bad decision."
Incidentally, Gupta relocated his family to France and has quit the technology industry. According to reports, he is studying vineyard management and plans to shift his career to the wine industry.