AI Engineer Varun Gupta: IIT Grad Faces $34,000 Fine And Probation For Leaking Classified Data
AI Engineer Varun Gupta: Varun Gupta is an AI Engineer and a graduate of the Indian Institute of Technology. He was sentenced to two years ‘ probation and fined $34,472 after he leaked Intel’s secret information to Microsoft. Gupta was a marketing product engineer at Intel for 10 years. He resigned from Intel in January 2020 and shortly after joined Microsoft.
Gupta, according to documents filed in court, stole thousands of Intel files during his last days at the company. One of the materials taken by Gupta was a PowerPoint that detailed Intel’s pricing strategy for a large client. This confidential document could be used to Microsoft’s advantage. The prosecutors highlighted the importance of the documents stolen, saying that Gupta was deliberate in his actions and crucial in helping Microsoft during negotiations with Intel.
William Narus (assistant US attorney), who prosecuted this case, highlighted the seriousness of Gupta’s actions. He argued that these were not an accident but rather part of repeated, purposeful attempts to gain access to Intel’s confidential data. The prosecutor recommended that Gupta be sentenced to eight months of federal prison for “purposefully accessing secret documents”. He emphasized Gupta’s repeated and deliberate attempts to gain access to Intel’s sensitive data.
The court still decided not to imprison Gupta. Gupta received a fine of $34,472 (approximately 30,21,510 in Indian rupees) as well as two years’ probation. This lenient punishment comes in light of the growing attention on corporate data breaches and thefts of intellectual property within the tech sector.
Varun Gupta’s case is a reminder to all of the legal and ethical risks that come with dealing with confidential information. It highlights for companies such as Intel and Microsoft the challenges that remain in safeguarding sensitive data during staff transitions.
