Apple has filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and two former employees, accusing the AI company of stealing hardware trade secrets. The complaint, filed Friday in federal court, describes OpenAI's hardware business as rotten to its core. The lawsuit also names io Products, the hardware startup led by Jony Ive and acquired by OpenAI last year, as complicit in the theft.
Tang Yew Tan and Chang Liu Named as Defendants
The suit names Chang Liu, a former senior system electrical engineer at Apple, and Tang Yew Tan, a former Apple VP who now serves as OpenAI's Chief Hardware Officer. Apple alleges that Liu surreptitiously accessed and downloaded dozens of Apple's confidential hardware-related files, including voluminous, detailed information about unreleased products, engineering presentations, technical specifications, and proprietary project data. Tan is accused of directing job candidates still working at Apple to bring actual parts to interviews for show and tell sessions to extract more confidential information. Apple claims that over 400 former employees have joined OpenAI and that the company's interview process is designed to solicit additional proprietary information.
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OpenAI's Response and the Alleged Silence
OpenAI did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Drew Pusateri, OpenAI's director of strategic communications, tweeted that the company has no interest in other companies' trade secrets. However, Apple states that it never received a response to its concerns. The lawsuit suggests that Apple is likely unaware of the full extent of OpenAI's misconduct, but asserts that at every level, from technical staff to the Chief Hardware Officer, OpenAI has been stealing trade secrets.
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No Impact on Apple Intelligence Partnership
The lawsuit comes as Apple continues its partnership with OpenAI for Apple Intelligence. In a footnote, Apple clarifies that the existing agreement to integrate ChatGPT into Apple devices is not at issue here and that the trade secret allegations have no connection to that arrangement. This separates the legal dispute from the ongoing commercial collaboration.
For related coverage, see the article Apple Sues OpenAI for Stealing Hardware Trade Secrets: Former Designer Tang Tan Named. The case also highlights broader tensions in the AI industry, as discussed in Anthropic reveals Claude's hidden reasoning space.
For the original report, visit Engadget.
