Apple sues OpenAI, alleging theft of trade secrets

Apple filed a lawsuit Friday in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California accusing OpenAI and two former Apple employees of unlawfully obtaining and using confidential company information to accelerate OpenAI's hardware development efforts. The complaint alleges that former Apple executives Tang Yew Tan and Chang Liu improperly retained or accessed proprietary materials before and after leaving the company, including product designs, engineering data, manufacturing processes and supplier information. Apple also named OpenAI and its hardware subsidiary, io Products, as defendants, seeking monetary damages and court orders preventing any further use of the disputed information.

According to the complaint, Apple alleges the former employees downloaded or retained confidential files and shared internal knowledge that benefited OpenAI's effort to develop AI-powered consumer hardware. The lawsuit claims OpenAI recruited numerous Apple engineers as it expanded beyond software into hardware following its acquisition of io Products, the startup co-founded by former Apple design executive Jony Ive. OpenAI said it disputes the allegations, stating it has no interest in using competitors' trade secrets and intends to defend itself in court.