Apple Sues OpenAI, Former Employees Over Alleged Trade Secret Theft Apple has filed a federal lawsuit against OpenAI, two of its former employees, and io Products, accusing the AI company of systematically stealing confidential information through the recruitment of Apple insiders. The lawsuit, submitted on Friday, alleges that OpenAI engaged in a "pattern of theft" of Apple’s proprietary product development data, internal communications, and sensitive business strategies. The company claims that former Apple employees who joined OpenAI exploited their access to "sensitive projects, trusted partner relationships, proprietary manufacturing techniques, and unreleased products" to benefit the rival firm’s efforts to enter the consumer hardware market. At the center of the dispute are Chang Liu, a senior electrical engineer who spent eight years at Apple, and Tang Yew Tan, a former vice president of design for iPhone and Apple Watch who worked at the company for 24 years. Tan is now OpenAI’s chief hardware officer. According to Apple, these individuals allegedly used their access to Apple’s internal systems to email themselves confidential information, including details about unreleased products and operational strategies. The lawsuit also names io Products, the design startup co-founded by Jony Ive, a former Apple executive, which OpenAI acquired last year. Apple alleges that OpenAI’s recruitment practices further facilitated the theft. The company claims that during interviews with current Apple employees, OpenAI interviewers allegedly asked candidates to "bring 'actual parts' as 'props' from Apple for 'show and tell,'" a tactic designed to extract proprietary information. Apple asserts that these actions were part of a coordinated effort by OpenAI and its affiliates to exploit Apple’s confidential data for competitive advantage.#apple #openai #jony_ive #chang_liu #tang_yew_tan
