Apple Sues OpenAI and Former Employees Over Alleged Trade Secret Theft
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Apple has filed a federal lawsuit against OpenAI and two former employees, accusing them of misappropriating confidential information and trade secrets to accelerate the development of OpenAI’s planned consumer hardware products.
The complaint, filed on Friday, July 10, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, names former Apple employees Tang Tan and Chang Liu among the defendants. Apple alleges that the two men accessed or retained sensitive company information related to unreleased products, hardware design, manufacturing methods and supplier operations before or after joining OpenAI.
According to the lawsuit, OpenAI recruited Apple employees and allegedly encouraged or benefited from the transfer of confidential materials. Apple also claims that some candidates were asked during recruitment processes to provide access to proprietary components, technical documents or information concerning products that had not yet reached the market.
The allegations have not been proven in court, and OpenAI has denied wrongdoing. The company said it has no interest in obtaining other companies’ trade secrets and intends to defend itself against Apple’s claims.
The legal dispute comes as OpenAI expands beyond software and artificial intelligence models into consumer hardware. The company has strengthened its hardware team by recruiting several former Apple employees and working with former Apple design chief Jony Ive on a new generation of AI-powered devices.
Apple argues that OpenAI’s hardware ambitions may have been supported by confidential knowledge involving product design, manufacturing processes and supply-chain relationships. The lawsuit could therefore become an important test of where legitimate employee recruitment ends and the unlawful use of a former employer’s protected information begins.
The case also highlights the changing relationship between the two companies. Apple previously integrated ChatGPT into parts of its Apple Intelligence platform, but OpenAI’s growing interest in consumer devices has increasingly positioned the companies as potential competitors.
No court has yet ruled on the merits of Apple’s allegations, and the defendants will have an opportunity to formally respond as the case proceeds.
