Apple has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI in the US federal court, accusing the artificial intelligence startup of stealing trade secrets. The iPhone manufacturer alleges that Sam Altman's company is using confidential information to accelerate its potential entry into the physical device market.
Use of internal knowledge
This move is linked to a strategy that resulted in the hiring of over 400 former Apple employees. With these professionals, Apple claims that vast internal knowledge regarding design, manufacturing, suppliers, and future products was transferred.
Among the individuals named are senior electrical engineer Chang Liu and Tang Yew Tan, who previously held positions such as Vice President of Design for the iPhone and Apple Watch. The lawsuit also involves io Products, a hardware startup founded by Jony Ive, former Senior Vice President at Apple, which was acquired by OpenAI last year.
Concerns about future development
The manufacturer's main concern is the use of this confidential information for OpenAI's new device development. The owner of ChatGPT is reportedly planning to launch an AI-optimized keyboard between this year and next, as well as a smart speaker similar to Amazon's Echo Dot, and possibly a smartphone.
In the petition, Apple requests financial compensation for the damages suffered and a court order preventing OpenAI from retaining or using any illegally obtained trade secrets.
Accusations against former employees
As reported by The Guardian, Chang Liu, who remained at Apple for eight years before joining OpenAI in January, allegedly retained a corporate notebook after leaving the company. He used an authentication vulnerability to access the company's internal network, downloading engineering presentations, technical specifications, and data from unreleased hardware projects. Additionally, the lawsuit points out that Liu instructed an Apple colleague on how to copy confidential files without triggering security team alerts, using Line Messenger for communications.
Tang Tan, who currently works as Head of Hardware at OpenAI, allegedly sent supplier data to his private email address before leaving Apple. This executive was a veteran with 24 years at the company and worked in crucial sectors of Apple's product design.
Suspicious recruitment attempts
Apple alleges that the future competitor in the smartphone sector has been seeking confidential information since the early stages of hiring. Recruiters reportedly asked professionals to present materials, such as prototypes, during interviews. The company describes these meetings as an attempt to obtain details about manufacturing processes and technologies developed over the years.
Apple attempted to notify OpenAI of its concerns and request compliance measures in February, but according to the complaint, the startup did not respond. Despite this conflict, the two companies maintained recent collaboration, having announced in 2024 the integration of ChatGPT into iPhone, iPad, and Mac through Apple Intelligence features, although the technological base is now composed of Google's AI models.
In a press release, OpenAI spokesperson Drew Pusateri stated that the organization is reviewing the lawsuit, saying: 'We have no interest in the trade secrets of other companies. We remain focused on building innovative technology that empowers people everywhere.'
