Apple sued OpenAI over alleged trade secret theft via two ex-employees. The lawsuit claims a coordinated effort to steal hardware information. OpenAI declined to comment.
Apple Inc. sued OpenAI in a California federal court, accusing the ChatGPT maker of stealing trade secrets to jumpstart its own hardware development. The lawsuit alleges that two former Apple employees–Tang Tan, a longtime hardware executive, and Chang Liu, a former electrical engineer–copied proprietary information after moving to OpenAI.
The filing claims Tan instructed job candidates still at Apple to bring "actual parts" to interviews at OpenAI. It also says Liu downloaded sensitive hardware files onto an Apple-issued device he kept after leaving the company. Apple said it raised concerns with OpenAI in February but received no response.
Tan now serves as OpenAI's chief hardware officer. The startup has publicly said it is working on a new way for users to interact with artificial intelligence, beyond traditional interfaces. Apple argues that OpenAI's hardware ambitions rest on stolen information.
"OpenAI's nascent hardware business now rests on the shakiest of foundations, rotten to its core by its illegal reliance on misappropriated trade secrets," the lawsuit states.
Apple said it is taking all appropriate steps to protect its innovations. OpenAI did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Drafted by a large language model from the source reporting linked above, then screened by automated publishing checks. It is not read by a journalist before publication. Some articles cite our Alpha Score. Verify prices and figures against the original source. Educational coverage, not personalized advice.