Apple has escalated its legal battle against OpenAI by sending preservation letters to approximately 40 former employees who now work for the AI company. According to the Financial Times, this move is part of the trade secret lawsuit filed last week, in which Apple accuses OpenAI of recruiting key engineers to unlawfully obtain confidential information about hardware and manufacturing processes.
Preservation letters aim to prevent destruction of evidence
The legal notices require recipients to preserve documents, emails, and other communications potentially relevant to the litigation. Apple believes the alleged misconduct extends far beyond the individuals named in the original complaint. The company has already targeted two high-profile former executives: Tang Tan, now OpenAI's Chief Hardware Officer with 24 years at Apple, and Chang Liu, currently on OpenAI's hardware team after serving as a senior system electrical engineer in Cupertino.
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Over 400 former Apple employees now work for OpenAI
The complaint states that more than 400 former Apple workers have joined OpenAI, suggesting a large-scale recruitment strategy aimed at acquiring protected know-how. OpenAI has denied all allegations, telling Bloomberg it is not aware of any evidence supporting the claims. Apple's demands include an injunction to prohibit OpenAI from using any Apple information in developing its own AI hardware device, along with damages and breach of contract claims against Tan and Liu.
Apple believes uncovered evidence is just the tip of the iceberg
According to the lawsuit, the evidence gathered so far may represent only a fraction of the overall misconduct. The company fears that the transfer of trade secrets was systematic and not limited to isolated incidents. Sending letters to 40 former employees underscores Apple's determination to dig deep. To put the case in context, other AI-related ventures have faced closures: for instance, ChatGPT Atlas shut down recently, signaling a shifting landscape for AI browsers. Intellectual property protection remains a hot topic in the tech industry, as demonstrated by this unprecedented legal action.
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For further legal background, see Wikipedia's entry on trade secrets. The Apple versus OpenAI case could set a major precedent for safeguarding corporate know-how in the age of artificial intelligence.
Source: https://www.macrumors.com/2026/07/17/apple-sends-legal-letters-openai
