Apple sues OpenAI over alleged trade secret theft
Apple alleges the misconduct was directed by OpenAi's senior leadership, including a long-time former employee. Apple filed a lawsuit Friday against OpenAI over allegations of trade secret theft and breach of contract. The iPhone maker alleges that this misconduct, which it says reveals a pattern of theft from OpenAI employees who previously worked at Apple, was directed by OpenAI's senior leadership, including Chief Hardware Officer Tang Tan .
Key Takeaways
- Before joining OpenAI, Tan had spent 24 years at Apple, most recently as VP of product design for the iPhone and Apple Watch.
The accusations come at a time when OpenAI is rumored to be developing its first hardware product , which would likely compete with the iPhone.
- Apple's former lead designer Jony Ive's device startup io was acquired by OpenAI last year in a $6.5 billion deal to aid the AI company with its hardware ambitions.
- Liu is also accused in the lawsuit of sharing Apple's confidential information with other Apple employees applying for jobs at OpenAI, advising at least one of them on what to study before their interview.
Apple sent a letter to OpenAI in February to raise its concerns, and received no response, the company said in the complaint.
- For instance, the filing references a proprietary metal finishing technique that was used by OpenAI after it allegedly misled a partner into believing it had Apple's permission to do so.
Like many tech companies, Apple typically investigates potential trade secret theft or other improper activity by analyzing communications that took place on company-owned devices and reading through its server logs.
- Apple lacks visibility into what's been happening behind closed doors at OpenAI, where such misconduct is normalized and exemplified by leadership," the filing states.
Stats & Key Facts
- #Apple's former lead designer Jony Ive's device startup io was acquired by OpenAI last year in a $6.5 billion deal to aid the AI company with its hardware ambitions.
- #Apple also alleges that Chang Liu, who spent eight years at Apple as a senior systems electrical engineer, failed to return an Apple-issued laptop after leaving the company for OpenAI in 2026 and had used the computer to download confidential Apple technical documents.
Before joining OpenAI, Tan had spent 24 years at Apple, most recently as VP of product design for the iPhone and Apple Watch. The accusations come at a time when OpenAI is rumored to be developing its first hardware product , which would likely compete with the iPhone. In April, industry analyst Ming-Chi Kuo suggested this device could be a smartphone that would rely on AI agents instead of apps.
If true, it would be one of the largest threats to Apple's core hardware business to date. Apple's former lead designer Jony Ive's device startup io was acquired by OpenAI last year in a $6.5 billion deal to aid the AI company with its hardware ambitions. While io was named in the filing, Ive was not.
Tan is not the only OpenAI employee referenced in the new complaint. Apple also alleges that Chang Liu, who spent eight years at Apple as a senior systems electrical engineer, failed to return an Apple-issued laptop after leaving the company for OpenAI in 2026 and had used the computer to download confidential Apple technical documents. Apple says in the complaint that the stolen documents included information about unannounced technologies, features, and products, including technical specifications, engineering presentations, and proprietary project data.
For more details please read the original article at TechCrunch AI.
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