Apple has filed a federal lawsuit on Friday against OpenAI, its former employees and the design startup iO Products, alleging a pattern of trade‑secret theft.
Apple claims that at least two long‑time Apple engineers who joined OpenAI exported confidential product‑development data to the AI company by emailing themselves internal information before leaving.
The suit names Chang Liu, a senior electrical engineer who spent eight years at Apple, and Tang Yew Tan, a 24‑year veteran of Apple’s design teams now serving as OpenAI’s chief hardware officer.
Apple also accuses iO Products—founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive—which OpenAI acquired last year, of providing proprietary manufacturing techniques to its new hardware venture.
In the complaint, Apple says its former employees “acted in concert” to extract sensitive data about Apple’s planned products, trusted partner relationships and unpublished hardware designs.
The company claims that OpenAI repeated this strategy when recruiting prospective Apple hires, allegedly requesting them to bring actual product parts to interview sessions for “show and tell.”
Apple’s lawsuit seeks an immediate court order preventing OpenAI from obtaining or using any alleged confidential information and seeks unspecified monetary damages.
OpenAI spokesman Drew Pusateri has stated that the company is “reviewing Apple’s complaint” and continues to focus on building technology that empowers people worldwide.
Apple’s litigation highlights a dispute that could affect both the AI sector and consumer hardware, especially as OpenAI plans to launch its first keyboard and aims to become a public company.
Apple’s CEO Tim Cook, who is stepping down later this year, had previously integrated ChatGPT into Apple devices but has since shifted many AI features to run on Google’s Gemini model.
