Apple Sues OpenAI, Accuses It of Stealing Trade Secrets

Apple filed a lawsuit on Friday alleging OpenAI used former Apple employees and supplier contacts to obtain and misuse Apple’s trade secrets to accelerate OpenAI’s consumer hardware efforts. The complaint asks a court to bar OpenAI from possessing or using the information and to order the return of any intellectual property Apple says was taken.

The suit says OpenAI ran a coordinated campaign to acquire details about unreleased Apple technologies, manufacturing processes and product designs. Apple says the effort relied on recent hires from Apple and relationships with Apple suppliers to gather confidential materials that would benefit OpenAI’s hardware plans.

The complaint focuses on specific individuals who moved from Apple to OpenAI. Apple names Tang Tan, OpenAI’s chief hardware officer and a former Apple vice president, alleging he directed job candidates still at Apple to bring “actual parts” to interviews so OpenAI staff could view proprietary components. The suit also names Chang Liu, alleging he left Apple with a company-issued laptop that was not returned and that he retained access to internal file servers through a software flaw, which Apple says he used to download presentations, hardware designs and testing procedures while already working at OpenAI.

Apple alleges OpenAI coached departing employees on how to avoid internal security controls. The complaint also accuses OpenAI of asking a supplier to reproduce a proprietary metal-finishing technique without making clear the work was for OpenAI, and says one executive carried confidential supplier information after leaving Apple.

Apple says it raised concerns with OpenAI in February and that OpenAI did not respond before the lawsuit was filed. The complaint notes more than 400 former Apple employees now work at OpenAI.

OpenAI responded in a statement: “We have no interest in other companies’ trade secrets.” An Apple spokesperson stated, “Recently, significant evidence has emerged suggesting individuals employed by OpenAI wrongfully took Apple’s secret and confidential information regarding our unreleased technologies, processes, and products.”

The companies had a public collaboration in 2024 when Apple added ChatGPT integration to iPhone, iPad and Mac. That partnership changed after Apple introduced a redesigned Siri that runs on Google’s Gemini model. OpenAI’s acquisition of io Products, the hardware startup led by former Apple designer Jony Ive, for about $6.4 billion signaled OpenAI’s plans to build consumer devices.

Mark Lemley, a Stanford law professor, noted that hiring former employees is legal in California and that proving misuse of trade secrets is often complex. Camilla Hrdy, a Rutgers law professor, observed that most prior AI trade-secrets cases focused on software, which could make a hardware-centered dispute more complicated.

Apple is seeking a judicial order preventing OpenAI from using the contested information and the return of materials Apple says were improperly obtained. The case is expected to move through court proceedings and legal motions over the coming months.