Apple has formally prohibited employees and contractors from using confidential information obtained through their work to participate in prediction markets, extending its insider-trading safeguards to a growing category of event-based trading platforms.
The restriction, set out in the company’s latest filing, covers employees who wager, trade or buy and sell contracts based on the outcome of future events using non-public information about Apple or other companies. This includes information relating to suppliers, manufacturers, vendors, customers and business partners.
The policy also prohibits employees from sharing confidential company information with others who may use it to participate in such markets. Importantly, the restriction applies even when the activity does not qualify as insider trading or securities trading under applicable laws.
The rules cover both current and former employees, including those who have left the company or been dismissed. Information about unreleased products, services and updates remains confidential until it is publicly announced.
The move reflects the growing scrutiny of prediction markets, where users trade contracts linked to the likelihood of future events. For employees, it establishes a clear boundary around the use of information accessed through their professional roles, regardless of whether a particular platform or transaction is legally classified as gambling or securities trading.
