Apple has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and two of its former employees, accusing them of stealing confidential trade secrets to accelerate the development of artificial intelligence hardware.
Gatekeepers News reports that the case, filed at the US District Court for the Northern District of California, marks a major escalation in the growing rivalry between the two technology giants.
The lawsuit names OpenAI, its Chief Hardware Officer, Tang Tan, and former Apple engineer Chang Liu as defendants. Apple alleges that Liu improperly retained company devices after leaving the firm, exploited a security flaw to access Apple’s internal systems, and downloaded sensitive files.
The company also claims Tan encouraged Apple employees to bring confidential information, including hardware components and supplier details, to OpenAI after joining the AI company.
According to Apple, the alleged misconduct was aimed at helping OpenAI and its hardware division develop competing consumer devices using Apple’s proprietary research, manufacturing processes and unreleased product information. The iPhone maker argued that the actions amounted to a coordinated effort to misappropriate years of confidential engineering work.
OpenAI has denied the allegations, insisting it has no interest in using competitors’ trade secrets. The company said it remains focused on developing innovative AI technology and will vigorously defend itself against Apple’s claims.
The lawsuit comes despite the companies’ previous collaboration, which saw ChatGPT integrated into Apple devices.
