Apple has sued OpenAI and two of its former employees, accusing the company of misappropriating confidential information and trade secrets to accelerate its consumer hardware ambitions.<\/p>\n
The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, claims OpenAI orchestrated a coordinated effort to obtain Apple\u2019s proprietary information through former employees, recruiting practices and supplier relationships. Apple is seeking damages, court injunctions and an order preventing the ChatGPT maker from using the alleged trade secrets.<\/p>\n
The complaint names OpenAI Foundation, OpenAI Group PBC, io Products and former Apple executives Tang Yew Tan and Chang Liu as defendants. Tan previously served as Apple\u2019s vice president of product design for the iPhone and Apple Watch before joining OpenAI, while Liu worked as a senior system electrical engineer.<\/p>\n
The legal battle marks a sharp turn in the relationship between the two companies. Apple integrated ChatGPT into its ecosystem in 2024, but tensions have grown as OpenAI expanded into consumer hardware following its acquisition of former Apple designer Jony Ive\u2019s startup, io Products.<\/p>\n
Partnership turns rivalry<\/p>\n
Apple alleges that Liu failed to return a company-issued laptop and later exploited an authentication bug to access Apple\u2019s internal network, downloading \u201cdozens of Apple\u2019s confidential hardware-related files.\u201d<\/p>\n
The company also claims Tan emailed himself confidential supplier information and internal industry summaries before leaving Apple. According to the complaint, Tan encouraged Apple employees interviewing with OpenAI to bring Apple components to interviews for \u201cshow and tell\u201d sessions.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has directed job candidates still working for Apple to bring \u2018actual parts\u2019 from Apple to their interviews for \u2018show and tell\u2019 sessions in which he and his team at OpenAI can elicit still more Apple confidential information,\u201d Apple said in the filing.<\/p>\n
Apple further alleges that OpenAI employees approached suppliers using proprietary Apple manufacturing techniques, including a confidential metal finishing process, while leading suppliers to believe they had Apple\u2019s authorization.<\/p>\n
Hardware race intensifies<\/p>\n
The lawsuit comes as OpenAI pushes beyond software into hardware. The company acquired io Products for approximately $6.5 billion last year and has been widely reported to be developing consumer devices that could eventually compete with smartphones<\/a>.<\/p>\n