Apple Files Trade Secrets Lawsuit Against OpenAI, Alleges Widespread Misconduct
Apple has filed a 41-page lawsuit against OpenAI, accusing the AI company of systematically stealing trade secrets from former Apple employees. The complaint includes startling details, such as instructing job candidates to bring Apple parts to interviews and coaching employees to bypass security protocols.
Apple filed a trade secrets lawsuit against OpenAI on Friday, containing extraordinary allegations of a coordinated effort to extract confidential information from current and former Apple employees. The 41-page complaint paints a picture of misconduct that Apple claims is not just the work of rogue employees but is ingrained in OpenAI's culture, led from the top.
Apple alleges that OpenAI's nascent hardware business, which may compete with the iPhone, is built on stolen trade secrets. The complaint states that "OpenAI's nascent hardware business now rests on the shakiest of foundations, rotten to its core by its illegal reliance on misappropriated trade secrets."
One of the most striking allegations involves OpenAI's Chief Hardware Officer, Tang Yew Tan, a 24-year Apple veteran, who allegedly instructed job candidates to bring "actual parts" from Apple to interviews for "show and tell sessions." One candidate reportedly was surprised, saying he didn't even know those parts could be taken out of the office.
The lawsuit also claims that OpenAI coached departing Apple employees on how to evade security procedures. OpenAI allegedly circulated an internal Apple document bearing a "Need to know" designation, detailing how to avoid the "dreaded walkout"—immediate termination after giving notice—to extend access to confidential information.
Apple reveals that over 400 former Apple employees now work at OpenAI, suggesting the potential scale of the problem. The complaint warns that this is "the tip of the iceberg" and that discovery will uncover much larger-scale misappropriation.
Additionally, Apple accuses io, a company founded by former Apple employees including Jony Ive and acquired by OpenAI for $6.5 billion, of using Apple's secret metal-finishing techniques by misleading an Apple partner.
Apple claims it first contacted OpenAI in February to raise concerns but received no response. OpenAI's only public comment came on Friday via a post on X, stating: "We have no interest in other companies' trade secrets. We remain focused on building innovative technology that empowers people everywhere."
