Apple sues OpenAI, says it stole hardware secrets 'at every level'
Apple's lawsuit accuses OpenAI of poaching engineers and lifting confidential device designs as it pushes into consumer hardware.
Apple just dragged OpenAI into federal court in Northern California, alleging trade secret theft that ran "at every level, from members of its Technical Staff to its Chief Hardware Officer." Translation: Apple thinks OpenAI's hardware ambitions are built partly on Apple's own IP.
The filing names names. Tang Tan, OpenAI's hardware chief and a former Apple VP, allegedly coached Apple staff interviewing at OpenAI to spill secrets. Ex-Apple engineer Chang Liu reportedly never returned his Apple laptop — after using it to download confidential technical docs. Apple also claims OpenAI pushed a supplier to replicate a metal-finishing technique Apple invented, while implying it had Apple's blessing. Jony Ive's io Products — the design firm OpenAI absorbed — is caught in the crossfire.
OpenAI's response was a shrug: "We have no interest in other companies' trade secrets."
Why it matters: the AI-hardware race is now a legal war, and the first shot is aimed straight at OpenAI's device dreams.
Sources
- Apple sues OpenAI alleging trade secret theft, says scheme was 'at every level' cnbc.com
- Apple accuses OpenAI and Jony Ive's io Products of stealing hardware trade secrets fortune.com
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