Apple Sued OpenAI for Trade Secret Theft on July 11, Citing 400 Former Employees

According to Yahoo Finance, Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI last Friday (July 11), alleging the company and current and former employees orchestrated a scheme to steal proprietary information related to iPhone manufacturing and AI device development.

The complaint specifically names OpenAI hardware chief Tang Tan, a former Apple vice president of product design, and Chang Liu, a former Apple electrical engineer now at OpenAI, alleging they conspired to misappropriate Apple trade secrets. According to the filing, Tan forwarded supplier information to a personal email before joining OpenAI and allegedly requested job candidates to bring "actual parts" for presentations during interviews. Liu allegedly accessed Apple's internal network and downloaded confidential hardware files related to unreleased products using a former colleague's company laptop. Apple states OpenAI currently employs over 400 former Apple employees. OpenAI responded, stating it has no interest in other companies' trade secrets and remains focused on developing innovative technology.