Apple files lawsuit accusing ChatGPT maker OpenAI of stealing trade secrets

Apple has initiated legal action against OpenAI, accusing the artificial intelligence company and two former employees of misappropriating confidential trade secrets. The lawsuit, filed in California federal court, centers on allegations that sensitive information was stolen to advance OpenAI's hardware initiatives as it moves beyond software development.

The defendants named in the complaint are Chang Liu, identified as a former senior system electrical engineer at Apple, and Tang Yew Tan, who previously served as vice president of product design for iPhone and Apple Watch. According to Apple's filing, Liu failed to return a company laptop and subsequently exploited an authentication vulnerability to access Apple's internal systems, downloading numerous confidential files related to hardware. Separately, Apple contends that Tan systematically extracted proprietary information by emailing himself details about Apple suppliers and industry analyses before departing the company.

Apple further alleges that Tan encouraged current Apple employees to bring company components to OpenAI job interviews for demonstration purposes. The filing notes that more than 400 former Apple employees currently work at OpenAI, and argues that this employment history does not authorize the use of Apple's confidential information. Additionally, Apple claims that OpenAI personnel sought proprietary information from the company's suppliers, with one supplier reportedly using a secret metal finishing technique for OpenAI under the mistaken belief that Apple had authorized such use.

OpenAI has not publicly disclosed the specific nature of the device it is developing, describing it instead as an effort to create novel methods of interacting with artificial intelligence beyond conventional product interfaces. The company acquired hardware startup io Products, founded by former Apple designer Jony Ive, in a transaction valued at $6.5 billion, signaling its strategic shift toward consumer hardware manufacturing.