Apple Sues OpenAI in Northern California Over Alleged Trade Secret Theft

In a federal complaint filed in Northern California, Apple accuses OpenAI of using confidential hardware information to help develop its own consumer devices. The dispute centers on Apple's claim that OpenAI misused trade secrets tied to hardware development.

Apple says OpenAI hired hundreds of Apple employees and took secret hardware development data with them. In the suit, Apple asked the court for a preliminary injunction to stop OpenAI from using the disputed information.

OpenAI pushed back publicly and denied any wrongdoing. The company called Apple's case "This careless, aggressive and oddly personal lawsuit sadly doesn't live up to that reputation."

In its defense, OpenAI said Apple contacted the wrong person in February after confusing two Asian surnames, and later claimed it had reached OpenAI's general counsel — something OpenAI says never happened. OpenAI also says Apple employees asked Chang Liu for help finding confidential files after he had already left Apple.

The company added that Apple and OpenAI failed to agree on a forensic review of devices, cloud storage, email, Slack and other services. OpenAI also pointed to Apple's allegation that former employee Chang Liu accessed and downloaded dozens of confidential hardware files, while Apple separately claims Tang Yew Tan directed job candidates to bring actual Apple parts to interviews for show-and-tell sessions.

OpenAI director of strategic communications Drew Pusateri said,

Apple and OpenAI are now presenting sharply different versions of the same dispute — which side sounds more convincing to you?