Apple has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing the artificial intelligence firm of stealing trade secrets to develop its own hardware device. The suit, filed on Friday, alleges that OpenAI poached Apple employees and coaxed them to hand over confidential material, product designs and other tightly held information.
“Recently, significant evidence has emerged suggesting individuals employed by OpenAI wrongfully took Apple’s secret and confidential information regarding our unreleased technologies, processes and products,” an Apple spokesperson said. Drew Pusateri, a spokesperson for OpenAI, said the company was reviewing the filing and had no interest in other companies’ trade secrets.
The lawsuit marks a sharp turnaround for the two tech giants, which announced a major partnership in 2024 to integrate OpenAI’s ChatGPT into Apple’s operating systems. However, tensions escalated last year when OpenAI spent $6.4bn to acquire a hardware startup founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive, signalling its entry into hardware. The startup, io Products, is also named in the suit.
Apple’s complaint alleges several former Apple employees joined OpenAI, taking trade secrets with them. Tang Yew Tan, OpenAI’s chief hardware officer and a former Apple vice-president, is accused of taking information about Apple suppliers and directing job candidates to bring “actual parts” from Apple to interviews. Another former employee, Chang Liu, is accused of taking an Apple laptop and downloading confidential files using an authentication bug.
Apple is seeking damages and a court order to block OpenAI from possessing or using its trade secrets. “Our teams are constantly developing breakthrough technologies to create the best products and services in the world, and protecting their work and intellectual property is something we take very seriously,” the Apple spokesperson said.
