The lawsuit claims OpenAI recruiters asked candidates to bring Apple parts (batteries, logic boards, glass) to interviews for 'show and tell' sessions.
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Apple filed a lawsuit Friday accusing OpenAI of stealing trade secrets through a recruitment program that targeted employees from the iPhone maker’s hardware teams. The complaint, filed in a California state court, also names two former Apple workers who now work at OpenAI and the startup's hardware division, IO. OpenAI did not respond to a request for comment.
The lawsuit alleges OpenAI recruiters directed job candidates to study confidential Apple documents and prepare presentations on their work at the company. One executive, according to the complaint, asked a candidate to bring physical Apple parts to an interview for what the company called "show and tell" sessions. The parts listed in the filing include batteries, logic boards, and glass samples.
Apple also claims OpenAI interviewers probed candidates about secret information, including vendor relationships, supplier details, and engineering strategies. The complaint says one applicant "expressed concern over OpenAI's tactics, noting he was 'surprised people have brought' Apple parts to interviews because he 'didn't know we could take those from the office.'"
The lawsuit centers on Tang Tan, a former Apple hardware executive and now OpenAI's head of hardware. Apple alleges Tan used an internal document describing the company's offboarding procedures to warn recruited employees about Apple's forensic checks and security reviews. The complaint says OpenAI told departing Apple workers they would not be asked to sign anything during exit interviews.
Apple said it had found incriminating messages on company-issued laptops of employees who left for OpenAI. "Unsurprisingly, Apple has uncovered a concerning recent pattern among employees who depart and then go work for OpenAI," the lawsuit states. It adds that departing employees have taken steps to evade security measures, including failing to give two weeks' notice and ignoring outreach by security personnel.
The case escalates a long-simmering rivalry between the two companies over artificial intelligence talent. OpenAI has aggressively recruited from top tech firms as it scales its workforce. Apple, which is developing its own AI models and hardware, has lost several senior engineers to the startup in recent months.
The lawsuit seeks damages and an order barring OpenAI from using any Apple confidential information. No hearing date has been set. A separate suit between the two companies over data scraping is ongoing in federal court.
For Apple (AAPL) profile, the legal risk adds to investor uncertainty around the company's AI strategy and talent retention. The stock was little changed in after-hours trading following the news.
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