Apple filed a lawsuit in federal court on Friday accusing OpenAI and two former Apple employees of a systematic effort to misappropriate trade secrets. The complaint, lodged in the Northern District of California, alleges that OpenAI engaged in a coordinated pattern of misconduct to gain an unfair advantage as it develops its own consumer hardware products. Apple claims the scheme involved the unauthorized acquisition of confidential documents, manufacturing processes, and technical specifications.
The litigation centers on two former Apple staff members now employed by OpenAI: Tang Tan, a former vice president of product design who now serves as OpenAI's chief hardware officer, and Chang Liu, a former senior electrical engineer. Apple alleges that Tan directed efforts to extract proprietary information during hiring interviews, while Liu reportedly exploited a security vulnerability to access Apple’s internal network after his departure to download sensitive engineering files.
According to the court filing, Apple’s internal investigation began in February after discovering that Liu had failed to return company-issued hardware. The company claims that Liu used an authentication bug to access shared network folders, where he allegedly downloaded dozens of confidential documents. Furthermore, the lawsuit asserts that OpenAI encouraged job candidates to bring proprietary Apple components to interviews for what the company described as intelligence-gathering sessions.
OpenAI has denied the allegations, maintaining that it has no interest in the trade secrets of other companies. A spokesperson for the AI firm stated that the organization remains focused on building innovative technology to empower users. The lawsuit marks a significant escalation in tensions between the two companies, which previously maintained a partnership that included integrating ChatGPT into Apple’s Siri.
As the case proceeds, the legal battle could have broad implications for the competitive landscape of the artificial intelligence and hardware industries. Apple has stated it will continue to take all necessary steps to protect its intellectual property and the innovations of its engineering teams. The court will now determine the validity of the claims as both parties prepare for a high-stakes legal confrontation.