Apple sues OpenAI over alleged theft of trade secrets by former employees

Coverage from SDx Central indicates that Apple has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, alleging that former employees have stolen confidential hardware design files and trade secrets. The lawsuit claims these stolen materials were used to aid OpenAI's development of its own hardware division.

Apple alleges that former employee Chang Liu, who left the company to join OpenAI's hardware team, downloaded "dozens" of top-secret hardware files. These files reportedly included unreleased project details, engineering presentations, and technical specifications. The suit claims Liu exploited a network bug and retained an Apple-issued laptop to access confidential data. Another former Apple executive, Tang Yew Tan, who now leads OpenAI's hardware efforts, is also named as a defendant. Apple contends that Tan encouraged current employees to bring "actual parts" to OpenAI interviews for "show and tell" sessions.

The lawsuit asserts that OpenAI's hardware business is built on "illegal reliance on misappropriated trade secrets." This legal action highlights growing concerns around device access and trade secret misappropriation in the tech industry.

Source: SDx Central