Apple has filed a federal lawsuit on Friday alleging that OpenAI, along with two former Apple employees, has engaged in a "pattern of theft" of confidential product development information.
Apple claims that the ex‑workers, who left Apple to join OpenAI, sent themselves emails containing internal Apple data, constituting the alleged pattern.
The company also claims OpenAI’s interviewers have used deceptive tactics, asking potential hires to bring "actual parts" from Apple for a show‑and‑tell, thereby extracting additional information.
Apple’s suit extends to io Products, the design firm founded by former Apple executive Jony Ive, which OpenAI acquired last year, and to former senior engineers Chang Liu and Tang Yew Tan, now holding key roles at OpenAI.
Apple accuses the parties of acting in concert to use Apple’s confidential information for OpenAI’s consumer‑hardware ambitions, noting the company’s upcoming hardware product launch and plans to become a public company.
The lawsuit seeks an immediate court order to stop OpenAI from using any alleged confidential material and seeks unspecified monetary damages.
