The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California. According to Apple, OpenAI attempted to obtain information about the company’s confidential projects through former employees, The New York Times reports.
The complaint states that during interviews at OpenAI, Apple candidates were asked to disclose details about products that had not yet been announced, as well as to bring device components and prototypes.
One of the defendants in the case is former Apple employee Chang Liu. The company alleges that after joining OpenAI, he used a former colleague’s laptop to access and download Apple’s technical documents.
Apple also claims that Liu planned to use a company laptop—which he failed to return after his termination—to access the company’s internal materials.
Some of Apple’s claims relate to Tang Tang, the former head of iPhone and Apple Watch design. He currently serves as OpenAI’s director of hardware. The lawsuit alleges that Tan helped former Apple employees circumvent internal security procedures upon termination.
According to Apple, more than 400 former Apple employees currently work at OpenAI.
Another point in the lawsuit concerns OpenAI’s relationship with Apple’s manufacturing partners. The company alleges that OpenAI may have used confidential information when approaching one of Apple’s suppliers, asking to see the metal finishing technology used for its devices.
Apple stated that in February it sent OpenAI a letter warning of the possible misuse of its confidential information but received no response.
OpenAI has denied the allegations. The company stated that it has no interest in other companies’ trade secrets and is focused on developing artificial intelligence technologies.
The legal dispute marks a new phase in the relationship between the two competitors. In 2024, Apple entered into an agreement with OpenAI to use ChatGPT in its products, including an update to the Siri voice assistant.
Later, OpenAI began developing its own hardware division. Last year, the company acquired the design studio IO—founded by former Apple design chief Jony Ive—for $6.5 billion. Following the deal, Ive and part of his team joined OpenAI.
