Apple Sues OpenAI Over Alleged Trade Secret Theft

Apple has sued OpenAI, alleging the AI company stole trade secrets for its upcoming hardware.

Apple has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing the artificial intelligence company of trade secret theft. The iPhone maker alleges that OpenAI's senior leadership, including a longtime former Apple employee, directed this misconduct. The complaint states that OpenAI employees, many of whom previously worked at Apple, engaged in a "pattern of theft" of Apple's trade secrets to advance OpenAI's hardware plans.

The lawsuit claims that OpenAI encouraged poached employees to bring over confidential presentations, secret prototypes, and key supplier details. Specifically, Apple alleges that a former employee used Apple's confidential project code names during recruiting, asked job candidates to bring Apple hardware components to interviews, and coached departing Apple employees on how to evade security procedures. Another former Apple employee is accused of failing to return an Apple-issued laptop and using it to download confidential technical documents, including information about unannounced technologies and products.

Apple's complaint suggests that this behavior is part of OpenAI's strategy to extract confidential information, including asking employees to bring designs and prototypes to interviews. The lawsuit seeks to bar OpenAI from using or disclosing these trade secrets, require the return of confidential Apple materials, and preserve evidence. Apple states that its investigation revealed OpenAI and its partners have used Apple's confidential information while developing its own hardware product.

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