Varun Gupta, a former Intel engineer, has avoided prison after stealing thousands of confidential files from Intel, which prosecutors said helped him secure a position at Microsoft and gave the company an edge in negotiations with Intel. Gupta, who had worked at Intel for ten years as a product marketing engineer before moving to Microsoft in January 2020, copied sensitive data, including a PowerPoint detailing Intel’s pricing strategies for a major client.
Prosecutors had sought eight months of federal prison, citing Gupta’s deliberate and repeated theft of proprietary information. His defense acknowledged the wrongdoing but argued that Gupta had already suffered significant professional consequences and had settled a civil lawsuit with Intel for $40,000.
US District Judge Amy Baggio ultimately sentenced Gupta to two years’ probation and a fine of $34,472, a figure meant to mirror the cost of the prison term requested by prosecutors. The judge emphasized the seriousness of the misconduct but also considered the reputational damage Gupta had already endured.
Now, Gupta has stepped away from the semiconductor industry. After paying his fine, he relocated with his family to France, where he is studying vineyard management with aspirations to become a technical director in viticulture, marking a major career shift from technology to wine.
