Apple accused OpenAI of telling job candidates to bring confidential hardware prototypes to interviews. The lawsuit alleges systematic trade secret theft involving 400+ ex-Apple staff.
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Apple accused OpenAI on Friday of telling job candidates to bring confidential prototypes, engineering artifacts and hardware components to interviews, according to a trade secrets lawsuit filed in federal court.
The complaint alleges OpenAI systematically misappropriated confidential information to build its consumer hardware business. Apple says OpenAI employed more than 400 former Apple workers, including engineers involved in hardware development.
"Significant evidence has emerged suggesting individuals employed by OpenAI wrongfully took Apple's secret and confidential information," an Apple spokesperson said in a statement. "We will always defend our teams' hard work and innovations."
An OpenAI spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.
The lawsuit claims OpenAI instructed candidates to prepare "Technical Deep Dive" presentations on their Apple work and bring batteries, logic boards and other hardware components for "show and tell" sessions. Apple alleges Tang Yew Tan, its former vice president of product design who now serves as OpenAI's chief hardware officer, used confidential Apple project codenames during interviews.
One Apple employee allegedly responded that he "didn't even know we could take those from the office," according to the complaint.
The iPhone maker also alleges former engineer Chang Liu improperly accessed Apple's internal systems after leaving the company, downloaded confidential engineering files while employed by OpenAI and coached another Apple employee on how to avoid security procedures before joining OpenAI.
Apple claims OpenAI used confidential knowledge of Apple's supplier relationships to build a competing hardware business. The lawsuit seeks damages and an injunction. No court date has been set.
For more on Apple's legal risks, see the stock market analysis page.
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